Sports Performance and Your Vision
In just about every aspect of life, what we see determines what we do. Good eye health and optimal vision are critical factors for better performance at school, at work, and at play. Both glasses and contact lenses are good options for people who need vision correction. Through a comprehensive eye examination, we can help determine the best choices for you.
While optimal vision is important, there is much more to vision than just seeing clearly. The important visual skills that can affect how well you play your favorite sport include:
- Dynamic visual acuity – the ability to see objects clearly while in motion.
- Eye tracking – the ability to ‘keep your eye on the ball’ or follow a moving object.
- Eye focusing – the ability to maintain clear vision as your eyes change focus quickly and accurately while looking from one distance to another.
- Peripheral vision – the ability to see people and objects ‘out of the corner of your eye’ while concentrating on a fixed point.
- Depth perception – the ability to quickly and accurately judge the distance between yourself, the ball, your opponents, teammates, boundary lines, and other objects.
- Fusion and flexibility stamina – the ability to keep both eyes working together, even under high speed and physically stressful conditions.
- Visualization – the ability to picture events with your mind’s eye or imagination especially as it relates to remembering plays, court position, and planning future action.
- Eye-hand and body coordination – the ability to appropriately use your hands, feet, and body to respond to visual information.
- Visual concentration – the ability to stay on task for increased awareness and fewer distractions.
Just as practice and exercise can increase strength and speed, a sports vision therapy program can help athletes improve their visual fitness. We can evaluate your visual skills and develop a program that is just right for you.
The American Optometric Association strongly recommends the use of protective eye wear for most athletes. The sports with the highest risk – for which eye protection is available – include basketball, baseball, hockey, football, racquetball, soccer, and downhill skiing. We can help fit you with the proper goggles. And remember proper eye protection also includes sunglasses.
Check out our official site for Vision Therapy and Sports vision here.
Testimonial
Our student-athletes truly enjoyed working with Busby Eye Care. The Busby staff is always friendly, courteous and professional to work with. Specifically, they have assisted our players with their focus on approaching balls, especially when at the plate. We’ve seen proven results with a number of our student-athletes improving dramatically on the field after working with Dr. Busby and the Busby Eye Care staff.
-Coach Maggie Calcaterra, Head Coach IUPUI Softball
