Skiing

"I can see well enough to avoid trees and other skiers. Isn't that good enough? The answer to that question is a resounding "NO." No other sport demands better hand/eye/body coordination. Reflexes must be fast and the skier's eyes true. There is no doubt that by improving your visual skills you can improve your performance.

I'm not talking about simply gliding downhill. I'm talking about mastering the hill. Using all of your speed and skill to make the right moves at the right time. Attacking the turns with confidence. Skiing smart. Knowing exactly where the next gate is set. Seeing terrain changes clearly . . . even in late afternoon flat light.

Visual skills affect the skier's reaction time, balance, eye/hand/body coordination - all those skills that can make the difference between a good and a great run.

In the past, it was assumed that an athlete either had good visual skills or not – and other than corrective lenses, nothing could be done to improve on that natural ability. However, in the last decade, studies have shown that superior visual skills correlate with superior performance and poor visual skills appear to hinder performance. As a result of those findings, optometric researchers developed a battery of tests and training procedures that are used to evaluate and improve the athletes' visual skill levels. And, since each sport requires a different skill set, training procedures are customized to address the athlete's specific needs. This article describes several vision-related skills that can be performed to improve performance on the slopes and race courses. Unless a ski racer can see clearly and shift visual gaze rapidly and smoothly from near-to-far and distant-to-close – and detect changes in the terrain and snow conditions, often under adverse weather conditions – he/she will be slow to react and will lose valuable time.

We begin all sports vision evaluations with standard vision tests to determine the athlete's ability to see stationary objects and follow moving targets. If the skier's vision is less than 20/20, we will prescribe contact lenses, eyeglasses, or prescription goggles. And, in certain cases of mild to moderate nearsightedness or astigmatism, we may consider doing refractive surgery to eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses.

We will also work with the skier to increase the speed at which he or she can identify stationary and moving targets (visual reaction time). This skill helps a skier recognize, evaluate, and adjust to a situation very quickly, such as a change in the terrain, the position of the next slalom gate, and so forth. We use optical lenses, electronic devices, and print materials to practice shifting focus between targets, quickly and accurately.

We also test the skier's fixation ability – that is, the skier's ability to sight a target quickly and accurately using a series of complex eye movements. In reality, most people actually focus to the left or right, above or below a sighted target. Our tests will determine where the athlete is actually looking in space and then work with the athlete to improve his or her visual accuracy.

Accurate assessment of depth and distance is essential so skiers can correctly adjust his or her speed and distance accordingly, at all points during the run, and be in proper position for the next turn, the next gate, the jump, and so forth.

It is said that the eyes lead and the body follows. Eye motility is a good example of this. We use a variety of devices to train the eye muscles to move smoothly, rapidly, and accurately while sighting and following a moving target. This ability is particularly important in slalom and jump events.

The eye is structured to provide two types of vision: sharp, clear central vision and wide areas of peripheral vision. Combined, these two make up your field of vision. We work on both peripheral vision and spatial localization to increase awareness of the surroundings, obstacles, turns, gates, finish line, etc. and help the ski racer maintain balance and avoid sudden corrective movement.

Since 80% of all information we receive is visual, we can enhance eye/hand/body coordination by improving the skier's visual skills. For example, we use a rotating wheel, balance board, and light speed track to evaluate the skier's balance, hand and foot speed, timing, and visual quickness. Finally, we teach the skier to maintain visual concentration while making frequent shifts in the center of balance of the body and coordinating eye/hand/body reactions.

Visual concentration is the ability to stay focused and maintain visual concentration even under adverse conditions. Athletes must perform well under pressure and that ability begins with good visual skills and motor responses to stimulus. During visual concentration training, skiers are asked to perform to their highest levels of visual skills capability with the addition of visual "noise" (i.e. strobe lighting, auditory signals and flash bulbs), and anxiety- and stress-inducing distractions (crowd noise, discomfort and fatigue). Related to visual concentration is visual memory and visual imagery – that is the ability to remember from past experience and visualize his or her performance before it happens.

Remembering past runs, courses, opponents and one's own tendencies (both good and bad) helps the skier analyze, visualize and execute in pressure situations, and gives him/her an immense advantage.

Perhaps most importantly, the skier must possess good contrast sensitivity – that is the ability to adjust to various lighting and weather conditions (from bright sunlight to overcast, snow or fog; dazzling snow glare to deep shadows; and daylight to dusk to artificial light), since each of these environmental factors place a different set of demands on the skier's visual system. Without good contrast sensitivity, you're at the mercy of the hill when the light goes flat; and you can't spot treacherous terrain before it swallows you up. To determine the skier's level of contrast sensitivity, we conduct tests under a variety of ambient light conditions, using specially designed projection systems and light sources of varying intensities.

In some cases, prescription goggles or contact lenses may be necessary to effect optimal improvement in contrast sensitivity.

Bright sunlight and glare from the snow are particularly demanding and takes its toll on skiers mentally and physically. In addition to the decreased visibility and physical discomfort, prolonged exposure to bright sunlight and ultra-violet rays can precipitate the formation of cataracts. For these reasons, skiers are advised to consult a sports vision practitioner for help in selecting distortion-free goggles, as well as ultra-violet and anti-reflective coatings for specific conditions.

When you're on snow or ice, you're on a surface that reflects a high amount of UV radiation from the sun, even on cloudy days. Although you can't see these UV rays, they exist and can harm your eyes. Long exposure to UV radiation, without wearing proper protection can lead to cataracts, retinal damage and other visual impairments. Lighting conditions on ski slopes vary from region to region.

Be sure to use protective eyewear with tints that are appropriate for your region. For example, if you ski in the Eastern U. S., you must contend with poor or flat light on the slopes, so it's better to wear lighter tints.

If you're a Western U. S. skier, you need darker tints because you ski higher in the mountains where the sunlight is even more intense. Polarizing sunglasses not only drop light below the glare levels, they also remove reflections and help skiers pick out surface details on snow.

There is no question that interrelated vision skills, working in harmony, play a critical role in the well-coordinated and effective performance of any sport - from skiing to skeet shooting. And, if you neglect the visual aspect of athletic training, you sacrifice a level of performance.

Serious ski racers invest a lot of time and money on their equipment, strength and conditioning programs, and on snow training. What has always surprised me is that little or no thought is given to the skier's visual fitness.

Since working with a number of athletes, I am more convinced than ever that good vision is the key to success. And the goal of every sports vision practitioner is to make sure that you are visually fit before you strap on the skis. So, the next time you're working out, think about starting an exercise program to improve your visual performance skills and strengthen your eye muscle coordination. Go ahead. Turn it on. You'll SEE the difference on the slopes.

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