When you play a sport, your whole body is involved in performing every action. Not only do you need strength, speed, and dexterity, but you also rely on your vision, especially your depth perception. Here’s what you need to know about correcting your vision to improve your athletic performance and why improved eyesight is important.

Depth Perception

This is the ability to judge how far away an object is and to keep track of where it is in space. It's essential for catching a ball, as well as determining how far to kick or throw it once it's in your possession. Depth perception is separate from visual acuity, so even if you have perfect vision, you can have issues with visually determining an object's location relative to you.

Factors That Affect Depth Perception

Each of your eyes has a limited ability to perceive depth on its own. By working together, they give you a much more accurate picture. If you have limited vision in one eye, or a condition that makes it difficult for them to work together, you’ll have less depth perception. This includes strabismus (crossed eyes) or amblyopia (lazy eye).

How to Improve Your Depth Perception

If you’ve been prescribed glasses, start by getting prescription eyewear that’s functional and safe to use during your activities. While ordinary glasses are in danger of breaking during your game, sports glasses are made with extra-durable frames and an elastic band to go around your head, so they’ll stay in place and resist breaking. Alternatively, you can also simply wear contact lenses during practice or a game.

Next, you can get a functional vision test. This type of test is separate from an eye exam that checks the clarity of vision in each eye. A functional vision test looks for conditions that keep your eyes from working together. If your eye doctor identifies any health issues, you may be able to work past them by doing exercises as directed by your doctor to strengthen your eye muscles; resting your eyes when possible; and practicing activities that require depth perception, like catching and throwing.

For help correcting your vision to prepare to play sports, visit Northern Lights Eye Care in Anchorage, AK. For over 15 years, Dr. Adam Huff, Dr. Ashley Kettler, and Dr. Stephen Stralka have offered exams to patients of all ages, with quick turnaround times on prescriptions. Call (907) 276-3937 to schedule an appointment, or visit the website to discover a full list of their services.