Several methods and exercises improve eye health and vision skills to help athletes perform well. Perfect vision not only helps in enhancing athletic performance but it also implies that you will have fewer eye problems in your later years. There are many reasons why good vision is important for sports professionals. For instance, golfers benefit from good hand-eye coordination. Accurate vision helps them target and time their shots with perfection.
Moreover, some athletes may also benefit from visual memory, especially when you are playing with a team. Having good vision not only changes the athletes’ decisions but can also change the course of a game. Eye-foot coordination is also crucial for tennis and soccer players whereas basketball players benefit from good peripheral vision. Contrast sensitivity is a key vision skill for skiers, who have to observe every shadow in the snow so they know when to turn.
Most athletes are aware whether they are left-handed or right-handed for adjusting their movements accordingly. However, they may fail to realize that by using their dominant eye, they can process information more quickly. For instance, when an athlete is aware of his dominant eye, he can accomplish better hand and eye coordination to take quick actions in sports like baseball or basketball during the course of a game.
A few athletes may also be cross dominant. This means an individual who is right-handed has a dominant left eye whereas an individual who left-handed has a dominant right eye. This attribute can be beneficial in a few types of sports but is a drawback in games, such as target shooting and archery.
In sports such as target shooting, a dominant eye and a dominant hand work well if both are on the same side of the athlete’s body. This is why cross-dominance makes it difficult for shooters to aim with precision. Athletes may require some adjustments, such as switching the hand they usually use for holding the firearm so that viewing the target through their dominant eye becomes easy.
Athletes with 20/20 vision are naturally more successful in scoring better results than their fellow athletes with imperfect vision. There are several exercises and techniques by which you can enhance your vision and improve your focus.
It is also important to get regular eye tests so all potential problems are detected before they become worse and become an obstacle to a successful sports career. A qualified and professional eye doctor will prescribe you eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct your vision. Moreover, he can also detect many medical conditions before any symptoms emerge. There are also surgeries, such as LASIK, to improve your vision for permanent results.
Final Thoughts
Acquiring good sports vision is not a one-day job. It may require intensive tests to assess your response time and the way you focus on an object. An eye doctor who has the expertise to offer sports vision training can help you achieve great results as a sportsman.
