SPORTS VISION
Giving You The Visual Advantage
Think of your favorite sport; chances are your vision plays
an important part in that activity. Coordination, concentration, balance and
accuracy are just a few of the visually-related abilities you use during a
sports event. Vision affects your batting average, racquetball score, pass
completion and free throw percentages. The term "vision" and the growing field
of "sports vision" apply to more than 20/20 eyesight, glasses or contact lenses.
Vision involves your brain, muscles and eyes.
When you train for your sports activities, you probably work
on your aerobic capacity, endurance, strength, muscle tone and/or flexibility.
But optometrists, coaches and trainers now say you should train your vision
as well. The stamina, flexibility and fine-tuning of your visual system can
sometimes provide you with the split-second timing you need to truly excel
at your chosen sport.
The Important Role of Vision in Sports Performance
Even if you already wear prescription lenses or contact lenses,
the visual skills you need for optimum sports performance probably need improvement.
If you do not require a vision prescription, your visual skills may still
be enhanced. These skills are developed from birth and learn as you grow;
they can also be taught, enhanced and improved at almost any time during your
life under the direction of a behavioral optometrist who understands how your
visual system works. If certain skills are not up to par, you may unconsciously
compensate and weak spots might develop in your game. These weak spots become
obvious to your opponent who, depending on the level of competition, may play
on them. Compensating behavior can include slowness or inconsistencies in
one or more areas of performance.
The Visual Skills of Peak Performers
The skills you need for peak performance in your favorite
sports are:
- Dynamic visual acuity-- which allows you to see objects clearly
while in motion.
- Eye tracking -- the ability to "keep your eyes on the ball,"
no matter how fast it may be traveling.
- Eye Focusing -- changing focus quickly and objects clearly while
in motion. and accurately from one distance to another
- Peripheral vision-- seeing people and objects "out of the corner
of your eye"" while concentrating on a fixed point
- Fusion flexibility and stamina -- the ability to keep both eyes
working together even under high speed, physically stressful situations.
- Depth perception -- quickly and accurately judging the distance
and speed of objects.
- Visualization -- picturing events with your "mind's eye" or
imagination. Studies show that when you visualize yourself performing
a particular activity, your brain doesn't know the difference between
performing the activity or visualizing. Visualization can boost your confidence
and aid in greater focus on your athletic goals.
Athletes' Vision In Training
Many studies show that professional athletes have much better
visual skills than non-athletes. Tests conducted on athletes reveal they often
have greater depth perception or better eye hand coordination, as well as
many other excellent visual skills. They often have a finely tuned visual
system which helps them learn to anticipate and respond more quickly to complex
visual conditions. In addition, many athletes actually train their vision.
For example:
- Professional golfer Val Skinner visited her doctor of optometry complaining
of "perceptual problems." After an intensive program with visual training
and lenses she had several successful seasons and went on to be regarded
as one of the top golfers on the LPGA tour.
- In one study, it was found that a group of professional basketball
players improved their free throw average by 23 percent after a consistent
20-day visualization program.
- Well-known NBA player Kiki Vandeweghe suffered with an eye-coordination
problem from childhood. After treatment with visual training and prescription
lenses, he averaged 26.9 points per game in the 1986-87 season to become
one of the top shooters in the league.
- Several members of the U.S. Olympic volleyball team were given visual
training. Players Steve Salmons and Rich Duwelius experienced a subsequent
25-30 percent increase in their hitting averages. Professional athletes
and their coaches have found that vision can play such an important part
in sports performance, it may be the one thing that keeps a good athlete
from being an exceptional one. And, conversely, it can be the all-important
factor that pushes a good athlete into a category of excellence.
Symptoms of Visual Problems
Following are a few of the symptoms you or your family may
experience if you have a vision problem that affects your sports performance:
- Headaches
- Performance not up to potential
- Wearing prescription lenses, but leaving them off during sports
- Poor eye-hand coordination
- Performance worsens under high stress situations
- Little or no improvement with practice
- Making unusual errors
- Inconsistent performance
- Better performance o-n one side, or in one direction, than the other
- Avoiding sports or getting frustrated when participating in sports
- Early fatigue
For more information
Not all optometrists practice behavioral optometry or can offer
you a sports vision program. If you do not now visit a behavioral optometrist
call or write the OEP Foundation for a referral list of behavioral optometrist
in your area.
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Pamphlet Copyright © 1989, OEP Foundation, Inc.
- A nonprofit foundation for education and research in Vision
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Permission to reprint
the contents of this brochure granted to P.A.V.E ® - 12/6/96 by: the
Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Inc.
Optometric
Extension Program Foundation, Inc.
