Most athletes do whatever it takes to succeed in their sports. This often means anything from a strict diet to well-planned workout schedules and specific rest systems. However, athletic performance is not only improved in the gym, it also needs perfect visual processing and eye coordination with other body parts.
It is no surprise that Sport’s Vision Beverly Hills, CA testing and training has proven to be an innovative and vital component to athletes in taking their game to the next level. The specialists conduct tests to examine your vision performance. Here is a look at some of the common sports vision tests recommended for athletes.
Eye Dominance Tests
The majority of people have a dominant eye. Knowing your dominant eye will enable you to perform better in sports activities such as golf, archery, and target shooting. A popular way of identifying your dominant eye is forming a triangle with your fingers and framing an object while looking at it with both eyes.
You close one eye and then the other to identify the eye that maintains the view of the flamed object. The Dolman Test is also used to determine eye dominance. It involves keeping both eyes focused on an object as it moves closer, and when one eye loses focus, the other is dominant.
Eye Tracking
Eye tracking refers to the ability of the eyes to make precise and accurate movements. The higher the efficiency of your eye movement, the better the signal your brain receives, giving you the most accurate and quickest motor response.
Several innovative technological methods are used to assess and enhance how efficiently your eyes follow moving objects. Some include mechanical rotation devices that look like record players, and the target moves in a circular pattern. Another is a computer system where your eyes follow a target motion on the screen.
Contrast Sensitivity Tests
Contrast sensitivity is the ability to identify an object against a similar background. For instance, identifying a baseball against a cloudy sky needs high contrast sensitivity. There are different tests for assessing an athlete’s contrast sensitivity.
A common test involves identifying parallel gray stripes against a colored background that changes gradually to look like the shade of the stripes. If you are experiencing poor contrast sensitivity, custom glasses with special lens tints might be recommended to help raise your visibility.
Peripheral Awareness Test
Peripheral awareness is the ability to identify objects with your side vision. This type of vision is very important in sports as it enables you to perceive actions around you without turning your head. Sports vision training works with athletes to enhance their awareness and attain a wide field of view.
Without special sports vision technology, you can also improve your peripheral awareness at home. You can observe a moving scene with your head slightly turned on one side. Try the same with the other side.
Depth Perception Test
Athletes require to quickly and precisely approximate the distance between themselves and the target, opponents, the ball, or field boundaries. Depth perception involves perceiving an object’s speed, location, and distance, which is vital in sports and performance.
Undertaking a comprehensive eye exam will help determine if you have poor depth perception. Stabilizing and increasing your depth perception can improve your shots, passes, and spatial judgment.
Sports vision testing and training can help all types of athletes to determine how well their eyes perform and get to their best. While it varies significantly based on an athlete’s specific needs, sports vision testing is generally beneficial for assessing your athletic abilities linked with eye tracking, hand-eye coordination, and depth and peripheral perception.
The best way to know the type of sports vision training suitable to help improve your performance is by booking an appointment with an optometrist for vision tests. Always remember that visual performance is as essential as physical performance.
