How enhancing your vision can give you that extra edge in competition Everyone is constantly on the lookout for an ‘edge’ in sports and, since vision is extremely important (over 70% of perceptual input is visual) optometrists who are sports vision practitioners can help to provide that edge.

Sports Vision (SV) is the branch of optometry concerned with vision and perception, evaluating and enhancing visual performance, and prescribing, where necessary, the most appropriate visual aids.

While achieving 20/20 on the eye cart is considered the benchmark for best corrected vision it is not the only measure. Your visual performance is really a combination of several skills, including peripheral vision and depth perception. No matter which sport you play, vision skills play an important role.

Studies have shown that over one out of every four sportsmen do not have adequate vision correction, an eye examination may reveal hidden visual deficiencies. Any athlete with a visual difficulty may visit an optometrist, but sports vision is about much more than standard eye testing. With sports vision, the entire visual system comes into consideration.

Who are ideal candidates for sports vision testing?
Athletes at a young age work on their sports vision, just as a professional athlete works on their sports vision. Even those individuals in professions that require good depth perception such as police officers, pilots and truckers will look further into sports vision. These are all professions that require good binocular vision to achieve peak visual performance. Whether you are a professional athlete or a recreational golfer, tennis player, or billiards player sports vision helps to enhance visual achievement.

What are symptoms of poor sports vision?
If you are experiencing difficulties with your vision while participating in sports, you should contact the optometrists at Graf Optical.

Specific difficulties noticed by the athlete may include:

• A decrease in performance either early or late during the game / match
• Athletic performance worse during the night than during the day (or vice versa)
• A loss of concentration
• Wide variations in athletic performance

Specific difficulties noticed by the coaching staff may include:

• Inconsistent play of athlete
• Deteriorating play over the course of the season
• Play not consistent with athletic potential
• Frustration and stress from visual

Sports Vision Testing at Graf Optical

Upon your visit to Graf Optical, the first step in a sports vision examination is a complete eye exam. Then, we will ask you about your activities. More testing will then determine your sports-related needs. These tests may include:

• Stereoscopic depth perception testing.
• Color Vision Testing.
• Peripheral Visual Testing using the Zeiss Humphrey Matrix

What prescriptions are most susceptible to difficulties with sports vision?
Those individuals with uncorrected astigmatism are very likely to have difficulties with sports vision. Uncorrected astigmatism may lead to double vision and can create tired eyes, as the patient may try to “squint” through the need for a correction. Thus, the longer the game progresses the more tiring it becomes for someone with uncorrected astigmatism.

What lenses can I choose for sports vision?
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission nearly 39,000 sports-related injuries are reported each year. Many of these eye injuries could have been prevented if the athletes had been wearing protective eyewear. Merely by outfitting Rec Specs, shooting glasses, safety goggles or ski masks with safety lenses known as polycarbonate lenses could have prevented these injuries.

Highly impact resistant polycarbonate lenses became available in the mid-1980’s. In addition to polycarbonate, Trivex is available. Trivex offers even better visual acuity and safety than polycarbonate.

The “Do’s” and the “Don’ts” for athletes and sport lenses:

Do:

• Use polycarbonate or Tri-Vex lenses
• Use plastic Rec Specs or sports goggles
• Consider filtered or colored lenses appropriate for the weather, cloud cover and ambient lighting conditions and the desired activity.
• For example:
  • Golfing: A green filter will filter out red and blue light but let green light in. The result is more contrast and visual acuity in the green part of the visual spectrum. More contrast now allows objects on the course, such as the fairway distance marker or flagstick to stand out more.
  • Fishing: A polarized lens will filter out glare and reflection to enhance outdoor vision
  • Shooting: Many shooters reach peak visual performance in lenses that are yellow or orange. Yellow lenses: Yellow lenses are best suited for dusk or dim light situations. The brighter the yellow is better for darker situations. Orange lenses: When target shooting using an orange target, an orange lens will block blue light and reduce haze. This will then enhance the orange target. Gray lenses: A neutral color that makes colors similar to their current colors. While gray lenses will not enhance a target, these lenses are especially helpful in bright sunlight. Vermillion: Useful in highlighting conditions in which there is poor background behind the target such as trees. Vermillion thus is helpful in enhancing targets against backgrounds. Light Purple Lenses: Actually a combination of neutral gray and vermillion. Purple lenses are useful for enhancing the orange of the target against a background of tall trees

Don’t

• Use "dress" eyewear during sports. Dress eyewear for everyday wear is not made to the same standard as safety eyewear. This eyewear will likely not sustain an impact and they may shatter and bend. In worse case scenarios, the pieces of the lens or frame may cause eye or facial injury.

The Graf Optical Sports Vision Eye Wear Collections: Graf Optical is an authorized retailer of the finest sports eyewear available including:

• Oakley Sports Eye Wear.
• Tag Heur Sports Eyewear
• Wiley X