The science of sport vision could be crucial in future years to hone the skills of our athletes and give them a competitive edge. Sports vision is a subject that many opticians specialise in, offering simple visual exercise that can train patient’s eyes to aid co-ordination and improve their game.
Within the scope of this area of study opticians look at whether people are right or left handed, which can tell us which is their dominant eye, and which sport the subject will excel at. Advice is also provided on tints and prescriptions to help with sport, as well as protective eye wear. As we gear ourselves up for London 2012 anything which gives our competitors the edge will obviously be of utmost importance.
Studies connecting sport and vision have already thrown up some interesting facts. Firstly, it has been proven that children are less likely to become short sighted if they take part in outdoor activities like football. The constant eye movement between far and near, and visually tracking the ball appears to stimulate the eye and more active children are less likely to be myopic in later life.
Recent research has shown that stress can affect performance in situations such as taking a penalty on the football pitch. During the tense moments before the kick, players focus more intently on the goal keeper. Due to this close coordination between holding the gaze and controlling the body, the ball is more likely to be kicked towards the goalie, making the save more likely. Going back to our hunter ancestry, during stressful moments we are more alert to distractions and possible danger, so we watch the goalie. This gets in the way of aiming inside the goal posts.
So the science bit may actually help us pick up a few more medals by the time the Olympics come round, if we listen to our opticians as well as our coaches!
