Now that summer is in full swing, kids and adults are playing more outdoor sports. For athletes to perform at their best, they need both accurate depth perception and well-developed hand-eye coordination. Any lagging visual skills can make the difference between an average and an extraordinary player.
Stereo vision, also known as depth perception or 3D vision, is the ability to derive information about the position of objects around us. Stereo vision is achieved as we have two eyes that send different signals to the brain, which are then joined by the brain and interpreted in 3D.
When the eyes are misaligned, the brain isn?t able to join the images sent to it by each eye, which leads to poor depth perception and difficulties with spatial awareness.
In baseball, football, basketball and soccer, having accurate depth perception is essential for tracking a ball and judging the distance between various targets and objects.
Why Micro-Prism Lenses May Be the Answer
At our Sports Vision Center, we use a variety of tests to look for any vision disorders. These tests, which are part of a thorough neurovisual exam, can detect even the tiniest vertical and horizontal eye misalignments, something a regular eye exam usually misses.
Once any misalignment is detected, specialized micro-prism lenses can be used to correct the misalignment and symptoms like headaches and double vision. They also enhance focusing, eye-tracking, peripheral awareness, depth perception and hand-eye-body coordination-all of which are essential visual skills required on a sports field.
If you’ve always wanted to excel at your sport and aren’t achieving your goals, it may be time for a functional eye exam to assess your binocular vision and other visual skills. To find out whether any underdeveloped visual skills are affecting your athletic performance, book an appointment with The Sports Vision Center at Opto-Mization today!
Our practice serves patients from Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia and surrounding communities.
