Determine your dominant eye in 4 simple steps
Medically reviewed by Ing. Petra Průchová, Optician Trainee, on 2 Nov 2020. Written by Lentiamo
Eye dominance – or what is technically known as ocular dominance – affects us all. That's because we have one dominant eye and one non-dominant eye. Very rarely do both eyes dominate at the same time.
About two thirds of people are right-handed so, for the majority of people, it can be assumed the right eye is dominant. If the dominant eye and hand are on different sides of the body it is known as cross dominance.
But why is the determination of the dominant eye so important? The optometrists at Lentiamo have the answer.
Why is it relevant to know the dominant eye?
The dominance of the eye is essential for all spectacle wearers und contact lens wearers. Especially if they suffer from presbyopia and wear multifocal contact lenses. With multifocal contact lenses or eyeglasses, the dominant eye is perfectly corrected for distance, while the non-dominant eye is corrected for near vision. Since multifocal lenses consist of concentric circles of different dioptres, the brain receives many different images, which results in one clear image that is created from all these images in a flash. A small miracle, isn't it?
But knowing the dominant eye is not only important for contact lens and spectacle wearers. The dominant eye is also a significant factor in photography and, of course, in sports (e.g. archery, paintball, baseball, golf, etc.), where you focus on the object with just one eye open.
Which eye is your dominant eye?
If you have regular appointments with your ophthalmologist or optometrist, they can quickly answer your question. Otherwise, you will have to find out about your dominant eye in a different way.
In the glasses prescription the information on the dominant eye is unfortunately not available, as it is not necessary for the production of the glasses.
But if you wear contact lenses, you can find the information in your contact lens prescription – the dominant eye is called „D“ and the non-dominant eye is called „N“. However, even lens prescriptions do not always tell you which is your dominant eye. During an examination for dioptric corrections, you may also be subjected to an ocular dominance test, so it's enough to ask the examiner about the result of this test.
Take the test – determine your dominant eye
You can't find your dominant eye in your lens or your glasses prescription? Then simply take our test to determine your dominant eye.
- Place your hands on top of each other with the back of your hand facing upwards so that your thumbs and index fingers form a triangle.
- Now stretch your arms straight forward.
- Choose a small object (max. 4 inches in size) which is about 10 feet away from you.
- Then close each eye alternately.
Result: When closing one eye, nothing at all happens? The object remains visible and recognisable through the triangle? Then this eye is probably your dominant eye. However, when closing the other eye, the object suddenly disappears from the triangle, or shifts in such a way that you can no longer see it through your hands? Then this eye cannot be your dominant eye and the other eye dominates.
This test serves to determine the so-called "sighting" eye dominance. "Sighting" of the dominant eye is used both in monocular observation (looking through binoculars, microscope, peephole, etc.) and in binocular observation. In such eye dominance, the image from the other (non-dominant) eye will be physiologically suppressed.
If you want the most accurate result, talk to your optician or ophthalmologist.
Our customer service team is also happy to help you. Please contact us at info@lentiamo.ie or leave us a comment!
