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Sports Vision

Alan Berman, OD

Institute for Sports Vision
96 Danbury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877

 

Contents

 

Introduction

The practice specialty of sports vision has evolved into a diverse application of optometric, psychological, and medical skills. Not surprisingly, there are relatively few practitioners who have the backgrounds that allow them to offer a full range of sports vision services to athletes.

This course will describe some of the requirements for working with athletes and will provide an overview of ways in which the sports vision specialist can enhance the performance of his or her athlete patients.

 

What is Sports Vision?

Sports vision services typically include:

The basic premise of sports vision is that the eyes feed information to the brain, which interprets it and then activates the arms, hands, legs, feet, and balance system. This happens within a fraction of a second, over and over again for the duration of the game. When the eye’s message is inaccurate, incomplete, or not delivered at the correct time, performance can suffer.

 

Figure 1. Accurate and timely delivery of visual information is crucial for performance in all sports.

 

What is a Sports Vision Specialist?

Many people call themselves sports vision specialists, which can mean as little as fitting contact lenses or providing protective eyewear for athletes, or it can mean that the doctor provides a comprehensive sports vision analysis along with vision enhancement training. The important thing is that sports vision specialists have the common goal of helping athletes to maximize their potentials and perhaps gain the elusive competitive edge.

There are some personal responsibilities for a doctor who provides sports vision services:

 

Goals of Sports Vision

Sports vision specialists evaluate the following areas:

 

Providing Sports Vision Services

As a sports vision provider, you need to have knowledge of all available treatment options, and you need to stay current on changes in technology to help the athlete excel.

If you want to add sports vision services to your practice, you need to identify the top participation sports in your area, and then find ways to market your services to potential patients who participate in these sports. Speak to runner’s clubs, the YMCA, the YWCA, fitness clubs, little league coaches' conferences, pistol shooting organizations, golfers' meetings, etc. It’s limitless to whom you can speak regarding the services you have to offer.

Time and Space Requirements

What are the time and space requirements needed to practice sports vision? Many sports-related tests can be done right in the exam room. They don’t have to take very much time or require special equipment, but they can provide very valuable information. Something as simple as a Brock string, dominant eye determination, or Maddox rod phoria assessment can be done in a matter of minutes right in the exam room.

Other tests require a little bit more space and may have to be done in another room such as a vision therapy room or a room specifically set aside for sports vision. Some doctors have very limited space but others have access to a large gym-type facility where all of the equipment is set up so the athlete can move from one station to the next. This is ideal, but not necessary to practice sports vision.

If a large room is available, then a careful plan is required as to where all of the equipment should go. Floor space for walking rails and balance boards, and wall space for instruments and testing equipment should be considered when planning a sports vision room.

 

Figure 2. Typical sports vision testing/training room.

 

When sports vision testing is carried out at a location away from the clinic, e.g., on the practice field on in a gymnasium, it is necessary to adapt testing equipment to the space allotted. Testing in strange places, such as the visiting team locker or shower room is relatively common. Things should be planned so that there is a smooth flow from one test to the next, with adequate lighting and clear markings as to where the athlete should stand during testing.

Sports Vision Equipment

The amount of money required to establish a sports vision practice can be as little as a few hundred dollars to get some basic vision therapy equipment for testing general skills, or it can be thousands of dollars to purchase high tech equipment that will provide detailed information about the athlete's visual skills. (A list of equipment suppliers is provided as Appendix 1.)

 

Table 1. Minimum equipment required for a sports vision practice.

 

Table 2. A more extensive (and expensive) battery of sports vision testing and training equipment.

 

There are many instruments that can be used in a sports vision work-up that do not necessarily have to be sophisticated or expensive. A handful of simple tests using very inexpensive equipment can reveal significant information regarding how an athlete’s eyes are affecting his or her performance. If further information regarding the role of visual skills on the playing field is required, specialized sports vision equipment can be purchased or the athlete can be referred to a clinic where more equipment is available.

The battery of tests provided for an athlete should relate to the sport in which the he or she participates and the individual needs/concerns of the athlete. Athletes are highly goal-oriented, therefore the instruments should be as closely related to the sport as possible. Existing instruments can be adapted to meet the needs of each sport. The most effective testing should be performed in free space and in the athlete’s particular position (e.g., in the crouch position for a hockey goalie).

When undertaking a sports vision evaluation, an explanation should be given regarding the test being done and how it relates to the particular sport. This will help the test to make sense to both the athlete and the coach, and it will help to ensure maximum performance output from the athlete being tested.

How do you learn to use the sports vision equipment you have acquired and further your knowledge in the area of sports vision?

Sports vision evaluations can be provided either in the form of screenings or complete examinations. Although there can be a considerable overlap between these two modes of care delivery, they will be discussed separately.

 

Conducting a Sports Vision Screening

 

Figure 3. Sports vision screening for an athlete.

 

Setting up a Screening

Holding a sports vision screening is one of the best ways of letting people know what a sports vision practice can offer.

Who should you contact to set up a screening?

Sometimes the hardest part of testing a team is convincing the coach regarding the importance of what you have to offer. Coaches tend to want to know everything and may be leery because they don’t know how sports vision fits in to their programs.

It would be very beneficial if you can run the coach or trainer through the sports vision work-up first. If this is not possible, then bring some hands-on equipment with you when meeting with them.

You must also relate to the specifics of the sport to the particular visual demands associated with it. For example, an archer should not be trained in peripheral awareness. Instead concentration and visualization should be emphasized.

Some other things to consider:

How to Conduct a Screening

Sports vision screenings can be done in one of two ways: in the office or on location in the field.

In the Office

In the office, stations can be set up and staff members will be available to assist in testing. In this situation, to minimize confusion and maintain a smooth flow, we generally run 3 athletes at a time through the different testing stations.

Advantages of in-office screening include:

 

Figure 4. Office setting where screenings can be done.

 

Screenings On-Location in the Field

Sports vision screenings can also be done on-site at locations such as the school gym, playing field, or locker room. This may be more convenient for the team to fit it into its schedule. It also shows the coach or trainer that you take the screening seriously and that you are flexible and willing to accommodate the team within your practice’s busy schedule.

An advantage of screening on location is that other people in the area, such as parents, secretaries, administrative staff, etc., can see what is being done and may take an interest in your services.

However, there are also problems associated with screenings away from your office. For example, you will probably have to be more flexible in the order of testing players. What generally happens is that a group of athletes comes by between their practice sessions or drills for testing. There may be time spent just waiting around for the players to come, but once they arrive, you must be ready to go and get them through quickly so that they can quickly return to their practice. Another disadvantage of on-site testing is that not all of the equipment can be taken along, so there might be slightly less in-depth testing provided. However, athletes who have significant problems detected during a screening can be referred to your office for more extensive evaluation.

 

Figure 5. Evaluating athletes on location can be very useful.

 

When the screening project is over and the results have been analyzed, prepare a straight-forwarded, easy to understand report for the coach and trainer. Have explanations for each testing area and how it relates to the specifics of the particular sport. Describe those players who have particular strengths and weaknesses. Then make realistic recommendations that the coach, trainer, parents - and particularly the athlete – can understand. It may is necessary and desirable to make somewhat different reports and recommendations to coaches, trainers, athletes, and parents. Allowing the coach or trainer to interpret screening results to athletes and parents can often be a good plan if the coach or trainer really understands what your screening has revealed.