How To Check Eye Dominance? 4 Ways To Test For A Dominant Eye
Jul 15

How to check eye dominance? Do you know a way to confirm if you have a dominant eye? Fortunately, there are tests that you can try to tell whether one eye is prevalent with the other. Meanwhile, you can also ask for support from specialist eye doctors at Mornington Peninsula. They can most likely answer all your queries about your eye health condition. Even though eye dominance is not a concern, it still requires medical attention. Why? Because it could be a symptom of another eye condition. Our overall health and wellness involve our eye health as well.
Alright! Let’s not keep you waiting. We will explore this article together and see what it has to offer. Here’s one thing that I can assure you. You will not leave this website without gaining knowledge at all.
What is Eye Dominance?
The primary term for eye dominance is ocular dominance. Ocular dominance is a condition wherein the brain captures more visual input from one eye than the other. Additionally, ocular dominance may also become associated with handedness. A left-handed person has a dominant left eye, while a right-handed person has a dominant right eye. However, this condition is not the same for everyone’s case. Several people are exempt from the rules.
Ocular dominance is not significantly concerning and does not make any difference in life. But then again, it is an essential aspect relative to some sports, such as archery or shooting. Fortunately, there are ways to address a dominant eye. The tips could be as simple as using patches but adjusting to it could not be easy and may take some time. For this reason, there’s a need to find other techniques to work it out.
Types of Eye Dominance
There are three various types of ocular dominance. We have indicated them below and provided some brief information about them individually.
- Motor dominance: In this type, the eye tends to lose its fixation as it nears the point of conjunction.
- Sighting dominance: This dominance involves one eye as the preference when fixating on a target object.
- Sensory dominance: The last type involves one eye’s vision being more powerful than the other eye.
In general, most people consider any of these types as a typical visual condition. However, as we mentioned in the introduction, it could be a symptom of another health issue. These issues are strabismus and amblyopia. Strabismus is when the eyes are not working as a team, while amblyopia or lazy eye results in the brain and eye not working together.
For our primary topic, how can we identify if one eye is dominant from the other eye? Why don’t we familiarize ourselves with an eye test? By the way, we have four eye tests here that we can try. Here we go!
4 Eye Tests to Confirm Eye Dominance
1 Miles Test
The first one is the most popular and straightforward to do. The primary purpose of this eye test is to evaluate the eyes’ vision quickness and sharpness. Below are the steps you could follow to do a miles test.
- First, you need to extend your arms in front while your palms are facing away from you.
- Next step, you have to form a small circle by crossing the forefingers and your thumbs.
- Afterward, select a distant object, about 20 feet in distance.
- Look at the distant object through the hole you formed earlier. However, both your eyes will remain open.
- Then, close one eye and then the other. What will happen here are two situations. When you close one eye, the object will remain visible in the hole. The other one is it will disappear from the hole or jump on the other side.
- In this case, the eye that can see the object when you close the other is your dominant eye.
2 Point Test (Target test)
The next one involves fixating on a distant object and pointing to it using the index fingers. Here is how you should do it.
- Choose a target object from a distance.
- Next, point your index fingers to it. You will intertwine your hands here as your index fingers do the pointing.
- Then, close one eye and the other, still looking at the target.
- In this case, the dominant eye here is the one that remains in line with the target.
3 Hole-in-the-card Test
In this test, you will be using a rectangular card with a small hole in it—approximately 1.25 inches or 3cms in diameter. You will also choose a distant object as your target while holding the card in front. Afterward, take turns in closing your eyes and focus on the target. In this test, the eye that gets to see the target from the hole is your dominant eye.
4 Thumb Test
This test is simple to perform. You only have to extend one of your arms while the thumb is in an upright position. Ensure that your thumb is at the center of the target object. Then, close one eye at a time. The eye that keeps your thumb remaining in front of the target is your dominant eye.
Conclusion
Overall, all of the tests we mentioned are easy to perform. The tests are not complicated, and you can do them without anyone’s guidance. In actuality, a person doesn’t need to receive treatment for a dominant eye. However, if the condition is relative to strabismus or amblyopia, treatment would be necessary. Treatment options may vary per individual. It could be eyeglasses, vision therapy, eye drops, or eye patching. Go to your ophthalmologist to make sure.
Have you tried the tests? Comment down below how it came out for you.
References:
How to Determine Eye Dominance, Troy Bedinghaus, OD, Ami A. Shah, MD, https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-determine-eye-dominance-3421648 ,
How to Test for Your Dominant Eye (& Why It Matters), Nvisioncenters.com, Jul 26, 2019, https://www.nvisioncenters.com/education/dominant-eye-test/
Dominant Eye: Here’s Looking at You, Adrienne Santos-Longhurst, Medically reviewed by Ann Marie Griff, O.D., April 30, 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/eye-health/dominant-eye
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