Vision Tests Used on Athletes

We’ve all dreamed at some point or another of becoming a famous football player, basketball player or soccer player. Now that we’re older and past our prime, we know that it’s a dream that will never be accomplished. But that doesn’t mean we’re not curious about what athletes go through to become more skilled physically than we’ve ever been! As you refine yourself to the use of reading glasses and admit that you’re getting older, you may wonder if there are any vision tests used upon athletes. The older ones may find their eyesight declining, while others may never have had optimal vision in their lives.
 

 

To satisfy your curiosity, and the dreams that will never be, we’ve put together a list of the most common eye tests used on professional sports players today and outlined their importance:
 

1.     Snellen Eye Chart – this is a standard eye test that most people are familiar with. It involves reading letters on a chart 20 feet away, and identifying them correctly as the letters get smaller one line at a time. What the Snellen Eye Chart identifies in athletes is their visual acuity, but more specifically if there is a refractive error that is common in young athletes. If detected, this needs to be addressed as it can impact their performance.

2.     Contrast sensitivity tests – these tests determine if athletes have trouble seeing high contrast objects against similarly coloured backgrounds. This can make it more challenging to spot a football at a distance, for example.

3.     Eye tracking devices – these tests determine how well an athlete is able to track moving objects with their eyes. These tests not only determine if this is a problem area, but can train the eyes to better follow motion.

You might have missed the boat on becoming a sports hero, but information about these vision tests show you how even the best are human too!