First step of sports vision is injury prevention
Preventing injuries is a key component of establishing a sports vision practice, but Charles Shidlofsky, OD, FCOVD, outlined additional components here at Vision Expo East, from getting started with education and equipment to fine tuning the level of athletes seen at the practice.
Among his credentials for sports vision care, Shidlofsky is the clinical director at Neuro-Vision Associates of North Texas, vice president of the International Sports Vision Association, and team eye doctor for Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League, Allen Americans of the ECHL and FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.
“The first thing we think about in sports vision is the prevention of sports-related eye injuries, including physical injuries or concussions,” he said.
The other key aspects include:
- visual skill performance screening and testing;
- refractive status and ocular health;
- visual skills task analysis;
- visual skills enhancement;
- concussion management; and
- eye protection and lenses.
“You have to look at each individual sport and individual athlete to understand what their specific needs are, even down to their position on the team,” Shidlofsky said.
To get started, Shidlofsky said that you need to address necessary education, decide on which aspects of sports vision you want to participate, decide on the level of athlete you want to see in your practice, and identify marketing and equipment needs.
He added that starting with “youth sports” or children in middle and high school can be the best place to start, as some communities are particularly open to having an optometrist that can address sport injuries.
“We also need to think about what vision-related skills are needed for great sports performance,” Shidlofsky said. “There are a bunch of them, and many times we’re not testing for what we should.”
Among the number of skills he described, he said that he puts eye-tracking first for athletes. Other skills for optimal performance include depth perception, peripheral awareness, fixation accuracy and color perception.
“Fixation accuracy is especially important for some sports,” he said. “Imagine a pitcher getting ready to wind up — what’s the hitter supposed to see, what’s the release point?”
Finally, Shidlofsky explained that the treatment team can include athletic trainers, dentists, chiropractors and speech therapists, along with comanagement specialists such as primary care doctors, neurologists and orthopedists.
Editor’s note: The article has been updated with ECHL as the current name of the former East Coast Hockey League.
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Shidlofsky C. Establishing a sports vision practice: Tips from the pros. Presented at: Vision Expo East; June 2-5, 2021; Orlando.
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