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Offer solutions to enhance the vision of your athletic patients
Sometimes the obvious is, well, not so obvious. As I write this editorial, the New York Yankees have completed an almost incomprehensible collapse in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees – a team that led major league baseball in home runs this year – barely hit the ball, much less home runs.
Among the Yankees being scrutinized is Curtis Granderson, who hit an eye-popping 43 home runs this season. Unfortunately, Granderson also struck out 195 times during the year … and at half of his plate appearances in the post season.
While their abysmal hitting in the American League Championship Series has caused uproar in Yankee nation, it has also led the organization to ask some fundamental questions – questions like: Is something wrong with Granderson’s vision?
Apparently, the Yankees conduct a pre-season physical and “eye test” on all players, but not necessarily during the season. Apparently Granderson has a history of “vision problems,” for which he was prescribed contact lenses. What is not clear is whether his vision has worsened or if he has even continued to wear contact lenses. In a sport in which shoulder tightness sends a pitcher jetting around the country for multiple orthopedic opinions, you would think an athlete’s vision would warrant equal consideration. I guess sometimes the obvious is, well, not so obvious.
Michael D. DePaolis
Every day, each of us sees our share of athletes. Granted, most compete on the youth, high school and collegiate level and are not professionals. Nonetheless, regardless of the level of play, vision is every bit as important to their performance. Arguably, amateur athletes are even more likely to be overlooked, as they do not have the cadre of coaches and trainers scrutinizing their every move.
It is for exactly this reason we are so important. In much the same fashion as we evaluate and make treatment recommendations for the student struggling in the classroom, we are ideally suited to provide care for athletes. In short, it is our job to see the obvious and offer solutions for enhancing our athletic patients’ vision.
To what degree each of us elects to participate in sports vision is a matter of personal comfort. Much like with vision therapy and rehabilitative optometry, you might simply diagnose and refer, provide a fundamental level of care or specialize in full-scope sports vision care.
In this month’s Primary Care Optometry News, we have asked a number of sports vision specialists to weigh in on this subject (see “Boost your practice by incorporating services for vision performance,” pages 1, 6 and 7). While each expert offers his or her unique perspective, the group collectively agrees on three considerations: sports vision is a burgeoning specialty still in its infancy; emerging research and an expanding array of treatment modalities require practitioner commitment to the discipline; and if you elect not to provide sports vision services, refer those in need to an optometrist who does.
While the latter seems pretty intuitive, remember, the obvious is not always so obvious.