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Sports Vision |
20/20 Isn't Enough...
At Seattle Sports Vision and Belltown Vision, we recognize that eyesight (20/20) is but one aspect of how
vision affects our lives. Good visual skills are necessary to perform well whether it is
in work, school, play, or sports.
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. If the visual information is inaccurate, It can throw off the body's timing and cause the performance level to drop. As a result of those findings,
we have developed a battery of tests and training procedures that are used to evaluate and improve the athletes' visual skill levels. Since each sport requires a different skill set, training procedures are customized to address the athlete's specific needs.
OverView At Seattle Sports Vision we successfully train both amateur and professional baseball, basketball, football, racquetball and tennis players, golfers, and other athletes. Our unique Sports Vision Enhancement Program includes a comprehensive evaluation and an individually designed protocol to improve sports vision skills. (Routine eye exams rarely evaluate even ten percent of what a comprehensive sports evaluation does). We measure and successfully improve eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, peripheral awareness, eye teaming, focusing, tracking and visualization skills. A sports vision program is designed to evaluate, train and enhance each athlete's unique visual skills. Before performing an evaluation, we ask the athlete, coach or trainer to complete a questionnaire, provide a brief medical history and describe their athletic situation and aspirations. The initial evaluation takes approximately 45-90 minutes. It includes an assessment of the athlete's visual acuity (vision) and visual performance skills. The evaluation provides a comprehensive profile of visual motor strengths and weaknesses. If the initial evaluation shows that training would be of no advantage, we advise the athlete accordingly. However, if the test results indicate that training could benefit the athlete, an individualized training program is developed to strengthen and enhance the individual's visual motor skills. We discuss our recommendations with the athlete, the family, coaches and/or trainers, as needed. Typically, the basic training program is conducted in our Belltown office, although alternate sites and home therapy sessions may be indicated. Athletes usually undergo vision training once a week for 30 to 45 minutes per session for a period of weeks or months. The total number of sessions depends on the athlete's motivation and the weaknesses identified in the initial assessment. Progress is reassessed at regular intervals, and training continues as long as progress is being made. When progress slows, we usually discontinue office-based therapy, and prescribe maintenance exercises for the athlete to do on his own. However, periodic evaluations are recommended to ensure that the athletes visual condition is stable and that the skill improvements are sustained.
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