Dynamic Visual Skills for Sports
Vision, just like speed and strength, is a critical component in how well you play any sport.
Vision has been described as the most variable of all the senses that affect sport performance. Because information gathered through vision is thought to dominate over information from other sensory systems, it is recognized as essential to successful performance in almost every sport.1
A growing body of evidence confirms that visual abilities can be strengthened and enhanced by means of appropriate visual training.
Optometrists with expertise in sports vision assessment and training, along with other professionals such as ophthalmologists, athletic trainers, and coaches can work together to train athletes of all ages and skill levels to help improve visual function, leading to improved performance. Athletes who use their visual system to its maximum potential will gain optimal performance and a competitive edge.
Click on the links below to learn about many of the dynamic skills associated with the sports you play, and check back for information on other sports and areas of performance. Then, use our Sports Vision & Performance Professional locator to see if there is an expert in your area whom you can contact to learn more about how you can enhance your visual performance. Also, visit our Sports Vision Glossary of Terms to learn more about visual skills and examples of how they pertain to various sports.
©2019, Dynamic Visual Skills for Sports, International Sports Vision Association and DeAnn Fitzgerald, OD.
ISVA wishes to thank the following individuals for their assistance in reviewing materials for this section – Alex Andrich, O.D., FCOVD, David Biberdorf, OD, Todd Daniels, MS, ATC, LMT, CSCS, Shelly Massingale, PT, MPT, Elizabeth McQueary OT/L, MOT
1 Van Dyk, “The Effects of a Sports Vision Training Programme on Selected Visual Skills in a Non-fatigued and Fatigued Cardiovascular Condition, 2014. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5699/3bfd8f0a0103dc66b1f3446386dad540aa67.pdf. Accessed July 2019