{"id":1435,"date":"2020-05-13T07:47:50","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T07:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=1435"},"modified":"2021-08-12T06:44:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T06:44:30","slug":"vision-skills-for-sports","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Vision Skills for Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Positive sports experiences are not only fun, but are also essential in building a child&#8217;s self-esteem.<\/h2>\n<p><em>Does your child enjoy playing sports but still finds their skills are not as good their friends? <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Your child may have a vision problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Children are born with an innate desire to play\u2014 with about anything they can get their hands on. Many children have an inborn athletic gene, while other children would love to be able to play sports, but for some reason cannot successfully perform when given the chance.<\/p>\n<p>Poor sports performance can cause low self-esteem, and feelings of frustration and embarrassment. A child who cannot catch a ball or jump rope like their friends, may begin to avoid these activities\u2014 causing them to feel left out and insecure.<\/p>\n<p><b>The good news is\u2014 many times, sports performance is closely related to the integrity of a child\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/\">visual skills<\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In other words, the child may have a visual problem that is <i>causing <\/i>their inability to perform well in sports activities.<\/p>\n<h2>Is a vision problem impacting your child&#8217;s sports performance?<\/h2>\n<p>Common signs that a vision problem is impacting your child\u2019s sports performance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dislikes team sports<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diminished interest in sports<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty catching or throwing<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inability to see the ball clearly<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Struggles to track the ball or other players<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over or under estimates distances<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poor sports performance even with strong athletic skills<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improvement is not noticed even with practice<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty remembering plays<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you want to improve your sports performance, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1626724076622000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHrUhu52NyH13FS3D9bltKIwUYr2A\">contact an eye doctor<\/a> near you, who can discuss how to take your game to the next level.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/5-tips-to-improve-your-game\/\">5 Tips to Improve your Game<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2>Are vision skills for sports different than vision skills for learning?<\/h2>\n<p>Actually, they are very similar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vision problems that affect sports performance can also affect your child\u2019s ability to learn in the classroom.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example, sports activities require accuracy and speed for optimal performance. If a child cannot see a ball clearly as it flies through the air (eye tracking), or know where to stand in order to catch the ball (visual perception), they will not play the game well.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, if a child has poor eye tracking or visual perception skills, they may have difficulty with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/vision-and-learning-difficulties-faqs\/\">reading and comprehension<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Visual skills necessary for sports performance\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Dynamic visual acuity- <\/b>the ability to see moving objects clearly<\/li>\n<li><b>Eye tracking- <\/b>the ability to keep your eyes on the ball at all times<\/li>\n<li><b>Eye focusing- <\/b>the ability to change focus quickly and accurately between two distances (near and far)<\/li>\n<li><b>Peripheral vision- <\/b>the ability to see images and objects &#8220;out of the corner of your eye\u201d while fixating on a target<\/li>\n<li><b>Focusing flexibility and stamina- <\/b>the ability to maintain clear vision at all distances even under high speed and physically stressful situations<\/li>\n<li><strong>Depth perception<\/strong>&#8211; the ability to quickly and accurately judge the speed and distance of objects<\/li>\n<li><b>Eye-hand coordination<\/b> is your body\u2019s ability to react to incoming visual information with accurate hand movements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If your child shows signs of a vision problem, schedule a comprehensive vision evaluation with your eye doctor to assess the integrity of your child\u2019s visual skills.<\/p>\n<h2>Vision therapy for sports<\/h2>\n<p>If a vision problem is detected, your child may be a great candidate for vision therapy.<\/p>\n<p><b>Vision therapy eye exercises retrain the visual system to correct many vision problems and enhance sports performance.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>Eye protection for sports<\/h2>\n<p>Did you know that sports activities are the most common cause of pediatric eye injuries?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Over 100,000 sport-related eye injuries are reported every year.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b><\/b><strong>90% of\u00a0 sports-related eye injuries can be prevented with eye protection.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<p>Most sports-related eye injuries can be prevented through the use of protective eyewear such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/eye-care-for-children\/glasses-for-children\/\">sports goggles, wrap-around polycarbonate lenses, or side shields<\/a>\u2014 you may have seen basketball players wearing these types of frames.<\/p>\n<p>Protective eyewear can be purchased with prescription lenses so children can see clearly while playing their favorite sport\u2014 without the risk of getting injured.<\/p>\n<p>Protective eyewear is essential for all sports such as hockey, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, tennis, and any other sport where the child is in motion. Regular eyeglass frames will not provide enough protection and can easily be damaged.<\/p>\n<p>If your child is involved in sports on a regular basis, or enjoys playing catch in the backyard, ask your eye doctor to recommend specific sports eyewear that will protect your child from an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/children-and-eye-emergencies\/\">eye injury.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/\">Guide to Sports Vision<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule a vision evaluation<\/a> to determine if your child&#8217;s sports performance can benefit from a program of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/what-is-vision-therapy\/\">vision therapy.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Does your child enjoy playing sports but you feel their game could be improved? <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Your child may have a undiagnosed vision problem and sports vision training could the solution to take their game to the next level.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Poor sports performance can cause low self-esteem, and feelings of frustration and embarrassment. A child who cannot catch a ball or jump rope like their friends, may begin to avoid these activities\u2014 causing them to feel left out and insecure. The good news is &#8211; many times, sports performance is closely related to the level of a child\u2019s visual skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1226,"parent":12509,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[161,164,158,163,162,124,159,160,119,149],"class_list":["post-1435","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-athletic","tag-injuries","tag-performance","tag-playing","tag-protection","tag-sports","tag-team","tag-track","tag-tracking","tag-vision-skills"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Vision Skills for Sports - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vision Skills for Sports - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Poor sports performance can cause low self-esteem, and feelings of frustration and embarrassment. A child who cannot catch a ball or jump rope like their friends, may begin to avoid these activities\u2014 causing them to feel left out and insecure. The good news is - many times, sports performance is closely related to the level of a child\u2019s visual skills.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-12T06:44:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/\",\"name\":\"Vision Skills for Sports - Optometrists.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-13T07:47:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-12T06:44:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Primary Eye Care\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guide to Sports Vision\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Vision Skills for Sports\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/\",\"name\":\"Optometrists.org\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Vision Skills for Sports - Optometrists.org","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Vision Skills for Sports - Optometrists.org","og_description":"Poor sports performance can cause low self-esteem, and feelings of frustration and embarrassment. A child who cannot catch a ball or jump rope like their friends, may begin to avoid these activities\u2014 causing them to feel left out and insecure. The good news is - many times, sports performance is closely related to the level of a child\u2019s visual skills.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/","og_site_name":"Optometrists.org","article_modified_time":"2021-08-12T06:44:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/","name":"Vision Skills for Sports - Optometrists.org","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-13T07:47:50+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-12T06:44:30+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Children-Basketball-Sports-Safety.jpg","width":640,"height":350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/vision-skills-for-sports\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Primary Eye Care","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guide to Sports Vision","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Vision Skills for Sports"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/","name":"Optometrists.org","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1435"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16860,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1435\/revisions\/16860"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}