It is now more than 80 years since the first publication on sports I Ivision appeared in literature. The early studies all originated vIision in the disciplines of sports science and sport psychology and it was only during the 1970’s that optometry and ophthalmology really became involved in sports vision. It was Garner1 who presented a study; done with some 3000 athletes that stimulated a major awareness of the role that optometry could play in sport performance and this opened the floodgates for optometric publications on sports vision. In 1980, Sherman2 published a literature overview that supports the role of vision in sports, particularly aspects such as static visual acuity, dynamic visual acuity, depth perception, stereopsis, accurate triangulation, eye movement and speed, peripheral vision and visualisation. He concluded, “All these visual abilities are trainable and enhanceable by optometric visual trainingâ€. Sherman2 also referred to the unique role that optometry can play in providing sports vision. He stated that the optometrist routinely provides vision care to athletes at different levels and this care should include corrective eyewear, protective eyewear and visual training to reinforce the role of optometry in enhancing sports performance.
THE STATUS OF SPORTS VISION IN SOUTH AFRICA. Download and view here: sport visie artikel