Sports Vision

Every athlete must have good vision to excel at his or her sport. From the big three sports down to individual sports such as golf or shooting, the participant is at a distinct disadvantage if he doesn't see well. You would be surprised at the number of athletes I see who have poor uncorrected vision. In football, basketball and soccer, there is a big ball that travels at a moderate velocity; whereas in baseball, tennis, and hockey, there is a small object traveling at a high velocity. Tenths of seconds are critical and vision certainly is a factor for those who are at the top of their sports. I attended a conference where a vision consultant for a professional baseball team spoke. It was amazing how a very slight increase in the player's visual acuity raised their batting averages considerably. Another consideration in sports is eye safety. It is not uncommon to see eye injuries from sports activities. The severity of eye injury ranges from corneal abrasions and bruises, fractured eye sockets and facial bones, eye hemorrhages and retinal detachments, to blindness from a direct hit crushing the eyeball. Eye trauma from racquet sports occurs due to the high velocity of impact and small size of the ball, which can more easily lodge into the eye socket. It is very important to make sure that you wear proper eye protection especially in high risk activities like racquetball, and paintball. I know this is not a sport but while you are reading this, I can't warn you enough about the dangers of fireworks, especially bottle rockets. Almost every 4th of July someone in N.W. Arkansas loses an eye from a bottle rocket. There are many types of visual corrections that can help improve your performance. For some, contact lenses or lasik surgery improve performance. For others, some type of eye protection, like sports goggles enhances their ability to play without fear of injury. No matter what your sport, you should make sure that you perform at your highest level. If you have not had your vision checked in a while, see your eye care practitioner to make sure that you are not at a disadvantage.