This stealth opponent can steal your career — Sports-related eye injuries are all too common, with an estimated 100,000 doctor visits a year resulting from such incidents. Fortunately, most of these injuries are preventable, if participants wear eye protection. …

Pro athletes see and react faster than is humanly possible — their secret is revealed here — In order to better understand conscious vs unconscious vision, let’s look at a pair of actual sports examples … These plays have in common one skill — responses that are only possible following an unconscious decision — simply reaction and success! …

The ability to predict the future gives any athlete an edge over the competition. — Anticipation is an important skill in sports, as it allows athletes to predict their opponents’ moves and adjust their strategies accordingly. The skill of anticipation has been defined as “the ability to quickly and accurately predict the outcome of an opponent’s action before that action is completed”. To this definition…

Leveraging this skill can give you a winning edge in almost every sport — Multiple target tracking and the related visual concentration ability are important skills for any athlete to master in order to be successful in their sport. It allows them to track the movements of multiple opponents at once and anticipate their opponent’s moves. …

Understanding stereo depth perception can give you a winning edge — Depth perception is integral to the performance of almost any sport, as it is the ability to accurately judge the relative distances of opponents, teammates, and the goal. …

Recognizing these conditions is the key to correction and optimal vision for sports — Although often not considered, vision is a critical component of sports performance. Have you ever seen an athlete play with their eyes closed? There are many eye conditions that can affect the vision of athletes; one of the most commonly overlooked is astigmatism. …

Eye care providers have a language of their own, here is the key! — Vision in sports, as well as in everyday life, is a critical ability needed to perform optimally. For some, our eyes are working perfectly and no vision correction is needed. For others, a vision correction through the use of glasses or contact lenses is needed for maximal visual function. …

Combining modern testing methods and technology we can get a more accurate assessment of vision — We’ve been using the same eye chart for 150 years to test our vision. The chart was designed by Hermann Snellen, a Dutch Ophthalmologist in 1862, and is commonly known as the “Snellen chart”. Recently, a new test has been developed which more accurately reflects the visual needs in day…

Avoiding these pitfalls can help you get a good exam and keep your eyes in top form — Cheating on your eye exam not only hurts you but is a serious offense and can have serious consequences both in terms of your own vision as well as legally. …