In the past, it was assumed that athletes had good visual skills. Again it was assumed that nothing could be done to improve on their natural ability. However, in the last decade, studies have shown that superior visual skills correlate with superior performance, and poor visual skills appear to hinder performance. If visual information is inaccurate, It can throw off the body's timing and cause the performance level to drop. As a result of those findings, researchers developed a battery of tests and training procedures that are used to evaluate and improve the athletes' visual skill levels. Since each sport requires a different skill set, training procedures are customized to address the athlete's specific needs.
"Keep your eye on the ball" is a phrase heard frequently from coaches of many sports. Nothing happens in sports until the eyes instruct your hands what to do. Since approximately eighty percent of the cues for playing most sports are sensed through vision, accurate vision and strong visual skills are paramount. 20/20 acuity means only that an athlete can see an object clearly. 20/20 Vision does not tell an athlete where the object is in space, how fast it is traveling or whether it is changing direction. Visual processing gives that information.
Our unique Sports Vision Enhancement Training includes a comprehensive evaluation and an individually designed protocol to improve sports vision skills. (Routine eye exams rarely evaluate even ten percent of what a comprehensive sports evaluation does). We measure and successfully improve eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral awareness, eye teaming, focusing, tracking and visualization skills (to mention just a few). A sports vision program is designed to evaluate, train and enhance each athlete's unique visual skills.
Progress is reassessed at regular intervals, and training continues as long as progress is being made. When progress slows, we usually discontinue office-based therapy, and prescribe maintenance exercises for the athlete to do on his own. However, periodic evaluations are recommended to ensure that the athletes visual condition is stable and that the skill improvements are sustained.
Athletes of all skill levels and sports are seen at Agape Optometry Center. Treatment varies with protective eyewear, sport specific sunglasses, specialized contact lenses and sports vision enhancement training.Click here for information about Sports Vision and the 2008 Summer Olympics.
