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snarfbot
Up and Coming
January 21, 2014

ocular dominance, hogwash?

no im not talking about defeating vr sickness, im talking about eye dominance.

the idea that the images from one of your eyes is somehow used more by your brain. does such a thing actually exist?

via wikipedia, there are several similar tests to determine eyedness, the simplest and worst is as follows:

1. hold your thumb out at arms length
2. aim thumb at distant object with both eyes open
3. close eyes alternatively.

the eye in which both your thumb and the object are visible, on top of each other is your dominant eye.

this test fails at #2, are you supposed to focus on your thumb, or on the object? either way you will see a double image on whatever you arent focused on, which double do you use to align the objects? thats what determines your eyedness in this test.

there are other variants that are similar, like making an ok sign with your hand, and pointing it at a distant object such that it is contained within the circle between your thumb and pointer finger. with this method the other eyes view of the object can be obscured by the fleshy part of your thumb and the back of the hand, provided you are focusing on your hand. lol but if you use your other hand, and the same methodology you will get the opposite eye as the dominant one.

another and allegedly the most accurate requires a piece of cardboard with a hole in it, and you eyeball a distant object through the hole and then close your eyes alternatively as before and thats your dominant eye boom. i didnt actually do it, but i imagine if you moved the cardboard or your head around, you would be able to see the other eyes view of the object so its still basically a crapshoot.

thoughts?

    17 replies

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    leftbigtoe
    Up and Coming
    January 22, 2014
    the test works better when you form a (small) triangle hole with both your hands (like the triangle gesture, just smaller) at arms length and through that triangle hole focus an object. then hold still and close each eye. if you are doing it right, the object should only be visible with one eye due to the offset. that's the test used for eye tracking studies to find the dominant eye ;-)
    ncwolf
    Up and Coming
    January 22, 2014
    "leftbigtoe" wrote:
    the test works better when you form a (small) triangle hole with both your hands (like the triangle gesture, just smaller) at arms length and through that triangle hole focus an object. then hold still and close each eye. if you are doing it right, the object should only be visible with one eye due to the offset. that's the test used for eye tracking studies to find the dominant eye ;-)

    Yea, we use this test when determining archery dominance as well (which side you aim with is mostly determined by the dominant eye rather than dominant arm).
    Nyroc C. Wolf
    raidho36
    Up and Coming
    January 22, 2014
    You can do something as simple as pointing with a finger gun at someting and close your eyes alternatively. This can also estabilish your dominant hand for that matter, but you're supposedly know it already if you can write.
    MrAdun
    Participant
    January 22, 2014
    I wonder what the importance of eye dominance is for our perception of things. Or more importantly, how that perception affects our equilibrium and contributes to sickness. You can't "aim" with your dominant eye by moving your head, you either have to move your thumb or your torso. DK1 can't track position, you can only move your head. You might be able to move an object in front of you (mouse moves hand/gun) but how else does your dominant eye work with your vision?

    Obviously, positional tracking mostly fixes this, but it's interesting to think about.
    snarfbotAuthor
    Up and Coming
    January 23, 2014
    i made this image demonstrating how the tests are actually only testing line of sight. i used the cardboard test because that is the only one that actually eliminates the ability to see the object with both eyes simultaneously.



    ocular dominance as defined by wikipedia at least, is as follows: "Ocular dominance, sometimes called eye dominance or eyedness,[1] is the tendency to prefer visual input from one eye to the other.[2] It is somewhat analogous to the laterality of right or left handedness; however, the side of the dominant eye and the dominant hand do not always match.[3] This is because both hemispheres control both eyes, but each one takes charge of a different half of the field of vision, and therefore a different half of both retinas. There is thus no direct analogy between "handedness" and "eyedness" as lateral phenomena."

    but the tests for it dont actually measure a preference or anything really, just the physical ability of light to reach the eye.

    the test can be further reduced to the following: there is a room divided by a wall with a hole in it, the subject and the test administrator are on one side of the wall. the subject is instructed to look through the hole. the eye the subject chooses to view the room behind the wall would be his dominant eye.

    thats all it is.
    Pokey
    Up and Coming
    January 24, 2014
    I am stereoblind, so perhaps I too am an unusual case, but I can obviously tell which eye is currently the focused one. I have amblyopia in my right eye, so my left eye is the main focus unless I force my right eye into that role.

    Personal eye issues aside, I was told about eyedness in first grade. They told us to look at the clock on the wall and close one eye, then close one eye repeatedly to compare single eye to double eye. Repeat with the other eye. If the clock did not appear to move that was your dominant eye. This seems slightly different than the tests you mentioned in that there is no lining up of two objects.

    It is possible I misunderstood the test and it only worked for me because my eyes are fucked. I was a kid. who knows.
    Pokey
    Up and Coming
    January 24, 2014
    Actually your reduction is essentially the same test they told me. I don't see how it supports your position of eyedness being hogwash, though. Your brain prefers one input to the other. If the two diverge, which one do you see by default, without trying?
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