For student athletes, proper visual skills are essential to be able to play safely and perform at their best. Athletes rely on their eyes to track moving objects, judge distance, react quickly, maintain balance, and coordinate their movements. But, as important as it is, proper eye care can get overlooked when the busy season starts. Here are some important suggestions to keep in mind to maintain healthy vision and strong performance.
Schedule Regular Eye Exams
This tip actually applies to everybody, but student athletes should pay particular attention. Because athletes rely so heavily on their visual skills, a comprehensive eye exam is the easiest way to monitor any changes in vision and take action quickly in order to correct any issues. Even if the scoreboard looks clear, a vision exam can detect underlying issues that are not as obvious, such as depth perception, tracking or eye coordination.
Wear Protective Eyewear
Getting hit in the eye with an 80mph fastball is not only painful, but it can lead to a scratched cornea, bleeding inside the eye, a fractured eye socket, retinal damage, permanent vision loss, or even loss of the eye itself. Student athletes face these risks in baseball, softball, basketball, racquet sports, hockey, lacrosse, and other activities where balls, equipment, elbows, or collisions can happen without warning. Protective sports eyewear made with impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses helps shield the eyes from direct blows and flying objects while allowing students to see clearly and play confidently.
Make Sure Eyes Get Needed Breaks
Between practice time, homework and daily use of personal digital devices, student athletes may experience extra stress on their vision which can result in tired or uncomfortable eyes. Fortunately, there are easy ways to combat this. For example, taking short breaks after focusing on screens or close-up work, occasionally looking at an object in the distance in order to relax focusing muscles, using adequate lighting, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep can all help to give your eyes the rest they need to stay healthy.
Don’t Ignore Vision Changes
Blurred vision, headaches, eye strain, double vision, dizziness, difficulty focusing, or trouble tracking objects shouldn’t simply be blamed on a long practice or a busy school schedule. These symptoms can sometimes indicate an underlying vision problem. If something about your vision doesn’t feel right, call us to schedule an exam so we can help determine what may be causing it.
Student Athletes Should Explore Vision Therapy for Performance
Competition for the top spot on the team, or even a college offer, can be fierce, so any added advantage can make a significant impact to student athletes. Vision therapy is an effective way to sharpen the visual skills needed for better performance on the court or field. This personalized program uses structured activities to retrain the way the eyes and brain work together. It can help improve skills like eye tracking, focusing, depth perception, peripheral awareness, visual processing, and eye-hand coordination. These essential skills are used to follow a moving ball or opponent, quickly shift focus between near and distance, coordinate eye and body movements and efficiently respond to what is happening in the game.
Family Vision Development Center Helps Athletes Succeed
Healthy vision is the base of strong athletic performance, as well as an advantage in daily activities like reading, writing and driving. At Family Vision Development Center, we care for our student athletes by providing comprehensive vision exams that allow us to monitor and quickly detect and treat vision issues that can impact both athletic and school success. In addition, we have advanced training in vision therapy techniques that can strengthen visual skills and vastly improve game performance. Reach out to our Aurora office by calling 630-862-2020 to learn more and to schedule an appointment for an exam.
Family Vision Development Center is a full-service vision center offering innovative vision therapy services, sports vision therapy services, post-concussive vision rehabilitation, comprehensive vision exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, management of ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts, and a state-of-the-art optical center offering the latest designs in eyewear.