Sports Vision Flashcards
Describe static vision in sports?
- Sports w/ high demand for SVA: target sports (archery, shooting, darts)
- Sports w/ medium demand for SVA: basketball
- Sports w/ low demand for SVA: linesman defender in American Football
Describe dynamic VA in sports?
- More important for sports vision
- High demand: baseball or cricket batsmen
o Have small ball hurtling at them & have to hit it and be precise - Medium demand: football
- Low demand: golf
Describe BV in sports?
- High demand: boxing -> need to place blows accurately to debilitate opponent
- Medium demand: gymnastics
- Low demand: long distance running looking out in distance, way beyond Panum’s Visual Area
Describe depth perception/ stereopsis in sports?
- High demand: hockey (ice & field) – blocking a shot
- Medium demand: platform diving
- Low demand: weightlifting
Describe accommodation in sports?
- High demand: tennis & table tennis -> ball coming close from far away & have to hit it
- Medium demand: hurdling – running over obstacles
- Low demand: swimming
- Sportsperson may demand generally higher standards of vision than those required by a non-sportsperson & consequently may ask for correction when in normal circumstances this would not be required
What could you do to test sports vision?
- Perform tests that are non-standard e.g. testing dynamic VA
- Perform tests in non-standard ways: e.g. BV test while px is simulating their active sports position
Reasons why visual performance of athletes IS superior to that of non-athletes?
- Athletes have large VF
- Athletes have better peripheral activity
- Athletes have greater field of motion perception
- Athletes have greater consistency of simultaneous BV
- Athletes have better depth perception
- Athletes have better dynamic VA
- Athletes have closer near point of convergence
- Athletes have better ocular motility, both for smooth pursuit & saccades
Reasons why visual performance of athletes IS NOT superior to that of non-athletes?
- Fact these abilities are better in athletes does not tell us their origin
- Are they better because only people w/ these particular enhanced abilities went on to become good athletes?
- Are they better because nature of sport naturally enhances these abilities in all its participants?
Can visual performance of athletes be improved by vision training?
- Yes for some visual abilities
- Visual training consists of variety of manipulations attempting to improve quantity measured
- Often the training will simply be a variation of measuring technique
- No good evidence to support or refute hypothesis that improving visual abilities using vision training can improve an athlete’s performance
- It is very difficult in such situations to avoid a placebo effect
Optical Appliances for Snooker?
o Large lens glasses
o Puts optical centres higher than eyes in normal position of gae but aligns optical system of spec lens/eye when player is taking shot
Optical Appliances for Squash?
o Safety glasses – strong – made of polycarbonate – w/ elastic strap to hold in place – clear wrap around sides to maximise peripheral vision
o They fit over existing specs
o Glasses worn are often only slightly tinted
Optical Appliance for Shooting?
o Vary greatly in their design & may incorporate features e.g. pinhole, occlude, Rx lens, variable aperture, filter
Optical Appliance for Swimming?
o Swimming goggles –> Made to Rx
o Optically unusual as they must have a plano front surface to get correct optical power in & out of water
– Diving Masks - made to Rx –> should be watertight
Optical Appliance for fishing?
Fishing glasses:
o Polaroid lenses w/ axis of transmission vertical – helps anglers to see fish beneath water’s surface
o When viewing surface of water, reflected light has large amount of horizontally polarised light
o Vertical axis of polarisation of glasses helps to ↓ this reflected light, enabling angler to see beneath water’s surface
Optical Appliance for Skiing?
Skiing goggles:
o Used as protection against shards of ice crystals & against radiation hazard that is particularly high when skiing
o Yellow filter absorbs harmful UV light & safety lens help in any impact
o Goggles must be made to fit over existing glasses if needed, & should be ventilated to prevent misting
