This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Dr. Val talks vision in sports with show guests
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On the new edition of Healthy Vision With Dr. Val, Val Jones, MD, played host to researcher Graham Erickson, OD, who spoke of the relationship between vision and sports performance, and Olympic champion sprinter Allyson Felix, who explained how good vision helps her cross the finish line ahead of the pack, according to a Vistakon company press release.
Different sports require different vision skills, Dr. Erickson explained, such as visual clarity, good peripheral vision, central vision, depth perception and visual motor processing. There are even differences by positions of players on the field, as in football.
"If you think of a lineman, peripheral vision and their ability to pick up and react to movement defines their success on the field beyond their strength and size," he told "Dr. Val." "Quarterbacks and receivers need to have excellent distance vision and depth perception to pass or receive the ball, while running backs need a mix of central and peripheral vision to see the hole developing so that they can run through it."
Ms. Felix explained that, with sprinting, having the least amount of visual distractions possible is critical and that looking sideways during a race will slow you down.
"Just rely on what's in front of you," she said on the show.
Free podcasts of Healthy Vision With Dr. Val Jones can be found in the iTunes Store, BlogTalk Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/healthyvision) and on http://getbetterhealth.com/healthyvision. A link to the show can also be found at www.acuvue.com/healthyvision, according to the press release.