When it comes to athletics, having good hand-eye coordination is essential to nearly every sport, particularly those involving balls: football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf and lacrosse. Depth perception is another important aspect of superior sports performance. If either of these abilities are compromised, a player’s game is going to suffer. One such condition that can greatly affect the skills necessary to be a successful athlete is Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD).
Stereo Vision & Depth Perception
In order to have good stereo vision – or, in other words, 3D depth perception – the eyes must be perfectly aligned. If the eyes move out of alignment even a slight amount due to BVD, a person’s stereo vision no longer functions as it should. This negatively affects all aspects of athleticism, such as how well a player is able to catch, hit or kick a ball. Good depth perception is also critical to being able to track a ball as it rapidly moves toward the athlete, as well as judging the distance of various targets and objects with precision – required in sports such as gymnastics, track and field, archery and more.
Why Micro-Prism Lenses May Be the Answer
Fortunately, BVD and its accompanying symptoms can be corrected through the use of glasses with micro-prism correction. This type of prismatic lens, when incorporated into glasses or sports goggles, works to move the eyes back into alignment, restoring stereo vision and depth perception to optimal levels. At Vision Specialists of Michigan, we test for binocular vision disorders using a number of different tests. These tests are all contained within a comprehensive NeuroVisual Examination, and are able to detect even the slightest vertical and horizontal eye misalignments, which are usually missed in a standard eye exam.
Once BVD is confirmed, our doctors are able to correct the misalignment with our unique micro-prism lenses. These lenses have the ability to greatly reduce or even eliminate symptoms of BVD such as headaches or shadowed or double vision, while at the same time helping to improve high-definition vision and depth perception, which are both of great benefit on the field.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If you’ve always wanted to play a sport but feel perpetually clumsy and uncoordinated, your problem may be your eyes rather than a lack of talent! To find out if BVD is causing your athletic difficulties, fill out our BVD questionnaireor give Vision Specialists of Michigan a call at (248) 258-9000.