Here’s a simple fact: if you see better, you’ll play better. That’s right, your vision is essential to performing at your best in practically any sport. Thus, if you’re an athlete who’s experiencing eye issues or trouble seeing, it’s likely that your vision is actually impairing your athleticism.
A fraction of improvement in your vision could make the world of a difference in your ability to perform. That’s why it may be helpful for athletes to prioritize their eye health, specifically with vitamins, to see better.
Vision isn’t just important for your day-to-day tasks, it’s actually a critical component to your athletic performance. Your eyes are how you gather visual cues that are essential to understanding the players, the game, and how you’ll react. More specifically, your vision is essential to:
Depth perception. Depth perception refers to your ability to accurately estimate distance and depth. This is important, for example, in football when quarterbacks use their depth perception to throw passes to moving receivers. Understanding the distance between point A and point B allows them to adjust their throw accordingly to maximize the chances of the ball being caught.
Visual acuity. Visual acuity refers to the sharpness and clarity with which you see objects. Golfers, for example, need to be able to clearly see far away targets and read greens with accuracy for putting. Another example is hockey, where the puck is small and moves rapidly. Strong visual acuity enables a player to track the puck on the ice.
Hand-eye coordination. This may be an obvious one, but syncing your body to align with what you see allows you to act fast and with high levels of accuracy. In archery, for example, you must aim and release the bow with your hands according to the visual inputs that you see.
Peripheral vision. Finally, the periphery is important for seeing oncoming threats and opportunities. If you have clear peripheral vision, you may be able to anticipate defenders’ movements in basketball and react accordingly without turning your head (1).
There are some things you should look out for on the field and on the court that may indicate eye issues. For example, consider if you:
Have trouble tracking objects. If you seem to struggle with following fast-moving objects like balls, you may have issues with depth perception or visual acuity.
Frequently misinterpret distance. If you constantly misjudge distances, like overshooting a pass or mistiming a catch, you may have impaired depth perception.
Have slow reaction times. Feel like your body can’t keep up with the speed of the game? You may be reacting too slowly to visual cues because of poor visual processing or hand-eye coordination.
Experience other visual disturbances. Blurry vision, headache, or eye strain during or after a game could be indicative of a greater eye issue.
If you experience any of these, it could mean that your vision is not optimized for sports or day-to-day life. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help.
The first step to improving your eyesight will always be to seek evaluation and advice from a licensed eyecare professional. An optometrist, for example, will be able to assess your vision, diagnose eye conditions, and intervene accordingly. Regular eye checkups are essential to ensuring that you address more serious conditions quickly and prevent further progression or impairments.
Aside from seeing an eye doctor, there are a few other things you can do to optimize your eyesight. These include:
Adequate nutrition. People tend to underestimate the impact of their diet on all aspects of their health, including their vision. Foods like leafy greens, fish, and fruits contain things like omega-3s, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can support the wellness of your eyes. If you aren’t able to get enough of these nutrients through your diet, you may opt to implement an eye vitamin.
Protective eyewear. Protective eyewear is incredibly important in high-contact sports. Ensure that you always wear sports goggles to prevent eye injuries. Additionally, using sunglasses can protect your eyes against harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Prioritizing eye care. Giving your eyes a rest can also do wonders for your vision. We like to use the 20-20-20 rule, where every 20 minutes you look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can greatly minimize eye strain. Additionally, limiting screen time and getting enough sleep can relieve eye fatigue.
Using vision training tools. For athletes specifically, virtual reality (VR) training programs can help you develop your depth perception, tracking, and reaction speed skills.
Vitamins for athletes, specifically those aimed at eye health, have the potential to help performance. When it comes to vision, the following nutrients can support your eyes:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Beta-carotene
Zinc
Zeaxanthin
Selenium
Lutein
Calcium
Thiamin
Folic acid
Omega-3 essential fatty acids
You can supplement with each of these individually, or you can opt for an all-inclusive eye vitamin. Eye vitamins tend to include some or all of the above ingredients to ensure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need for your eyes to thrive.
Are you an athlete interested in an eye vitamin? Well, look no further than [The Eye Mazing Everyday Eye Vitamin from Zen Nutrients], a vitamin specially formulated for vision. Eye Mazing contains vitamin A, C, D, and E as well as zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and more. These research-backed clinical ingredients are shown to improve visual function and decrease headache frequency. As such, an Eye Mazing gummy has the potential to support athletes through improving their vision and performance.
https://heartland-eye.com/the-relationship-between-vision-sports-performance/
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