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Many people are unaware of the differences between an optometrist, a neuro-optometrist, and a behavioral or developmental optometrist. Sure, they sound alike but the services they provide are quite different. And if you, or someone you know, has a vision problem that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses this blog is for you.

Hockey is a fast paced, dynamic sport that requires a myriad of skill sets. Players aspiring to move up to the next level train year-round, both on and off the ice. Highly competitive players, and those on the brink of moving up, are using sports visual training to give them an edge against the competition.

Tennis players, like most athletes, are constantly looking for new ways to enhance sports performance and gain a competitive edge. For decades tennis players have employed the help of coaches and trainers to improve footwork, speed, strength, strategies and technique. Today, however, increasing numbers of athletes are including sports vision training as part of their overall training program to maximize performance and take their game to the next level. 

Golf, as with other sports, is a game that requires specific skill sets. Some golfing skills can be attributed to a natural ability; while others can be taught, practiced and honed to perfection in an effort to shave a few strokes off the game. But what if, after all of the effort and hard work, the scorecard doesn't show the expected results?

Most of us think of 20/20 vision as “perfect” vision, which is better vision than half of the American population. It may surprise you but 20/20 is not even close to the vision necessary to play major-league baseball. Below-average vision can be enough to ruin the aspirations of an otherwise talented athlete and end a potential career before it begins.  

Competitive soccer players know that it takes practice and conditioning to move to the next level. Highly skilled players dedicate themselves to game preparation, but they also have something that average players lack - superior vision skills combined with excellent motor timing and ability. Today we are going to talk about how soccer players use their vision when playing the world's most popular game.

Competitive athletes need more than basic eye exams. Think about it, what is the goal of an eye exam? To see 20/20 and make sure your eyes are healthy. Well for athletes, 20/20 is blurry. They need to see better than 20/20 when they compete. They also need excellent visual skills to catch the ball, track the puck and make split second decisions. These visual skills are not assessed during an eye exam. This is why athletes need to work with a sports vision eye doctor who performs Athlete Vision Assessments.

The eyes are a complex organ that can take an impulse of light and turn it into vision; a truly remarkable feat. Even more remarkable and complex is vision itself. 66% of the connections within the brain are involved in the process of vision; sight, binocular vision (eye teaming), visual perception (making sense of visual information), and visual integration. As you can imagine, when an aspect of the visual system is not working properly it takes specialized care to correct the visual deficit. In the area of binocular vision and visual perception there are several terms, which are misleading and confusing for patients when used interchangeably. In this four part blog we will discuss each of these terms; vision therapy, vision rehabilitation, eye exercises and brain training as they relate to the visual system. In today's blog we will discuss vision therapy.

During our Vision Therapy Myths Debunked series we have already talked about the myth that vision therapy is only for kids and the myth that all vision therapy programs are the same. Today's blog is going to debunk the myth that vision therapy must be repeated. One of the most common comparisons that I hear is when people call vision therapy “eye exercises” and liken it to sending your eyes to the gym. This makes vision therapy sound like strengthening exercises. Enter the concern for regression and the need for repeat vision therapy programs. By the time to finish reading this blog you will have a better understanding of why vision therapy is not just eye exercises and why vision therapy does not need to be repeated.

Professional athletes are always looking for a competitive edge. In baseball, batting is central to the game, statistics, and the success of a player. Baseball players at all levels of the game strive to improve their hitting statistics. One system that is often under-trained is the visual system. The eyes and their connection to the brain are central to athletic success. Improving how quickly and accurately you take in visual information during competition can improve athletic success.