Sports Vision Therapy
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Sports vision therapy helps athletes optimize visual skills to react faster, track objects more effectively, improve eye hand coordination and peripheral vision, leading to enhanced overall performance. Athletes of all ages and competition levels can benefit from the individual and personal treatment programs offered through vision therapy.
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VISUAL SKILLS NECESSARY FOR SPORTS PERFORMANCE​
​Sports activities require accuracy and speed for optimal performance. These skills allow you to track a ball as it flies through the air, stand in the correct location to catch a ball, and accurately pass the ball to another player.
Reduced visual skills will make it difficult to participate in sports activities and team sports— and may even lead to a poor self-image or self-esteem.
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The following skills are essential for optimal sports performance:
DYNAMIC VISUAL ACUITY
Dynamic visual acuity allows you to see moving objects clearly. This skill is essential for sports such as tennis, racquetball, hockey, or soccer for the ability to clearly see the ball and other players while you and/or the other objects are moving quickly.
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EYE TRACKING
Eye tracking allows you to keep your eyes on the ball at all times, without moving your head— enabling the ability to maintain better balance and a faster response to the situation. This skill is essential for any fast moving sport, or any type of game played with a ball.
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EYE FOCUSING
Eye focusing allows you to change focus quickly and accurately between two distances (near and far). This skill is essential for playing all types of sports that involve looking at the goal in the distance, while managing and moving around the opponents up-close.​
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PERIPHERAL VISION
Peripheral vision allows you to see images and objects such as a teammate or opponent, “out of the corner of your eye” while fixating on a target. This skill is essential for all sports, for the ability to see what is going on all around you without having to turn your head.
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DEPTH PERCEPTION
Depth perception allows you to quickly and accurately judge the speed and distance of objects. This skill is essential for estimating the location of the ball, teammates, opponents, boundary lines, goals, and other objects.
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VISUAL REACTION TIME
Visual reaction time allows you to interpret and react to your teammate’s or opponent’s action, in an appropriately timed manner. This skill is essential for swinging a bat, catching a ball, or returning a tennis serve.
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EYE-HAND COORDINATION
Eye-hand coordination allows you to react to incoming visual information with accurate body movements. This skill is essential for sports because it enables accurate timing and control over body movements, such as when swinging a bat, taking a shot, and shooting hoops.
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VISUAL MEMORY
Visual memory allows you to interpret and remember a fast-moving, multi-detailed image, including both people and objects. This skill is essential for sports, specifically for “being in the right place, at the right time”— enabling you to remember the location of your teammates and opponents as you try to remain in control of the ball.
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VISUALIZATION
Visualization allows you to imagine yourself succeeding, while at the same time concentrating on something else. This skill is essential for sports as it enables you to visualize yourself shooting the ball into the hoop, or hitting the perfect serve, while concentrating on the ball— imagining the success of your action facilitates the actual success. According to research, the areas of the brain that light up during performance, also light up when a person visualizes the performance.
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VISUAL CONCENTRATION
Visual concentration allows you to maintain focus on an object or target, with the presence of distracting factors in your field of vision. This skill is essential for sports, specifically in situations when spectators are reacting or cheering around you, if an object is thrown on the court, or the timer on the scoreboard is approaching the end of the period.
If you are ready to improve your game, schedule a comprehensive eye exam now!