How to test for dominant eye

📖 Less than two minute read

What the heck is 'dominant eye', why should I care and how do I know which eye is my dominant eye?

What is dominant eye?

According to WebMD:

Ocular dominance, or dominant eye, is when you use one eye more than the other, have better vision in one eye, or can fixate on something better with one eye. Knowing which eye is dominant can be important for performing activities that require you to focus on a target, like baseball.

Who cares?

The reason you should care is that usually your dominant eye is your back eye when you are in your batting stance. This makes hitting—which is already difficult—even more difficult if you leave your dominant eye farther from the baseball you're trying to hit. When hitting, you should turn your head so that the entire front of your face is facing the pitcher rather than the half-front, half-side of your face.

How do I test for dominant eye?

WebMD offers the "hole in the card" test:

The “hole in the card” test is the most commonly used test for determining a dominant eye. The test is performed by using a rectangular card with a small hole in it. You can do the test yourself by cutting a hole in an index card. Hold the card at arm's length in front of you and focus on an object on the other side of the hole. Slowly bring the card toward you until it touches your nose. The card should be covering one of your eyes – and that is your dominant eye.

You can also get in your batting stance and focus on an object in front of you. Point at the object with your finger. Close one eye, then close the other eye. The eye with which the object moved the least (is closest to your finger) is your dominant eye.