Vision’s Role in Sports Performance

Our ability to see and process visual information is vital to sports performance. Athletes can perform poorly or get injured if their vision is poor. Riviera Opticare’s optometrists in Scottsdale and Mesa, AZ, have the training and expertise to perform vision tests and offer training or treatment plans to improve your athletic performance. Continue reading to learn more about vision’s role in your sports performance and how we can help.

Sports Vision Testing

Different sports and positions require various combinations of visual skills, but all require athletes to see objects, track their movements, and rapidly adjust their bodies in reaction to those movements. The ability to perform these complex activities requires strong visual clarity. Commonly conducted vision tests to determine the strength of your sports vision include:

•             Visual acuity tests to check for the clarity of objects at varying distances.

•             Visual process or hand-eye coordination tests to check for reaction time.

•             Contrast sensitivity tests to determine how you see and track objects against different backgrounds.

•             Ocular alignment tests for checking the eyes’ ability to work together and respond to stimuli.

•             Eye dominance tests to check for visual alignment.

•             Depth perception tests to determine your speed and accuracy in judging distance.

An eye doctor near me can utilize some or all these tests to determine your overall eye health and vision strength. They can use this information to help you with your sports vision and improve your athletic ability.

Treatment and Training to Improve Sports Vision

You will first complete a comprehensive eye exam from an eye doctor near me to determine your overall eye and vision health. Your eye doctor can then check your performance on one or more tests to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie. They can offer corrective lenses or other vision correction methods to treat vision errors. They can also determine which corrective and protective eyewear is appropriate for your sport. Athletes can often improve specific deficits through regular vision training exercises, with some seeing immediate improvement in sports performance.

Specific vision tests are also vital in assessing concussions or traumatic brain injuries. These may reveal previously undiagnosed traumatic brain injuries and aid in determining the readiness of an athlete to return to practice and competition.

Schedule an Eye Exam at Riviera Opticare to Improve Your Sports Vision

Strong and healthy vision is vital for athletes to perform at the top of their game, so contact Riviera Opticare in Scottsdale and Mesa, AZ, to improve your visual clarity and performance on the court or field. Call us and schedule an eye exam today at our Scottsdale office at (480) 991-6432 or our Mesa office at (480) 827-9184 .