Major and minor athletes require conditioning training to make sure they perform their best. Many athletes endure testing to make sure their conditioning is working properly and one of the major health tests that athletes are subject to are sports vision tests. These sports vision tests help test the skills developed by sports pros and can help further improve performance. These tests including: hand-eye coordination which athletes see how their coordination lines up. This specific test is great for tennis and baseball players to see how they anticipate hitting a fast-moving ball; Improved depth perception aids downhill skiers as they negotiate turns to avoid obstacles; and eye tracking ability – an important test for any athlete – includes following and anticipating the motion of a moving ball, this helps basketball players as they drill up and down the court.
Sports vision tests help assess how well an athlete sees and can be used to train them to improve their visual function. Each vision test has their own set of tests that help assess the athlete’s vision. The Snellen eye chart, for example, helps with hand-eye coordination examinations. Most of us are used to the Snellen eye chart – it’s the chart your optometrist makes you read from to fully test your vision. If you have issues reading the eye chart, then you’ll be fitted with proper eyeglasses or contacts to improve your visual acuity. The contrast sensitivity tests will assess how well someone picks up the contrast of parallel stripes against a background that will begin to match the stripe’s shade. This is great for golfers who need to be able to see the contrast of the green.
Eye tracking devices will help assess how well your eyes follow and track a movie object – then it will work to improve your visual tracking. The test is usually done on a computer system where your eyes can be tracked electronically as it follows the motion on a screen. All of the movements are recorded by the computer. The results will help the athlete learn where their vision is weaker and stronger.
Ocular alignment tests will determine how well both eyes are aligned and work together! An eye doctor will cover one eye to see how the other eye response to be stimulated. Then he or she will cover the eye and eventually both eyes will be uncovered and observed to see how they respond to the same stimuli. Another alignment test is the Hirschberg test – which assesses the way light is reflected off the cornea. Problems are detected by analyzing the specific points where reflections occur on the cornea.
You’ve probably noticed that some tests, like the Snellen eye chart, may result in being told you need an eyeglasses prescription and subsequent prescription glasses; while other tests merely test how well your eyes work together and decipher how well your eyes follow moving objects. Regardless of the point of the tests, each test is important in its own way and can help any athlete perform at their best. Eye tests are just as important as muscular conditioning when it comes to playing a sport well.
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