Elevating Athletic Performance

Head and eye movements and gaze tracking in baseball batting

Nicklaus Fogt, OD, PhD

This talk will review recent studies on eye and head tracking in baseball batters. The tracking behaviors of baseball batters will be compared to those in other sports such as cricket and baseball and opportunities for future studies that may lead to sports vision training protocols directed at gaze tracking will be discussed.

Management of Visual Symptoms from Sports Related Concussion

Graham Erickson, OD, FAAO, FCOVD

An overview of sports-related concussion (SRC), often considered a sub-type of traumatic brain injury, is presented with an emphasis on the management of visual symptoms. The pathophysiology, assessment and incidence of SRC is reviewed. A summary of SRC management leads into review of treatment options for common visual sequelae, including refractive care, prism options, filter options, binasal occlusion, and neuro-visual rehabilitation.

Nutrition for Vision: Implications for Performance and Protection

James M. Stringham, PhD

In the past decade, there has been an enormous increase in our understanding of how specific micronutrients influence visual performance and can protect the visual system (including the brain). Far and away, the strongest effects have been found for lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin. Speed of visual processing, contrast sensitivity, and vision in low- and bright-light conditions are all significantly improved with supplementation of these nutrients and commensurate increase of macular pigment density. Additionally, lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin protect the retina and brain from oxidative stress and inflammation. This lecture will cover these effects in the context of visual performance in athletic competition, and, based on the results of several recent animal model studies, the potential for protection against and recovery from traumatic brain injury will be discussed.

The Pros Edge: Vision Training for Golf

Lawrence D. Lampert OD, FCOVD

According to the National Golf Foundation, 2020 saw the largest percentage increase in beginning golfers and the biggest gain in youth golfers coming to the game since Tiger Woods' 1997 Masters win. And experts believe that these numbers will continue to grow. Golf is also moving beyond the typical 18-hole course, and more consumers are playing the sport at entertainment venues like TopGolf or on virtual simulators.

This presentation will give attendees a working knowledge of the visual skills needed for golf and the assessment and training of those skills. Attendees will understand how enhancing visual skills can aid with alignment, distance judgments, reading the greens, and improving consistency, and ultimately scores, as well as learn how to be a better vision coach to the golfer based on some simple tests.

Perform better, think faster, train wiser

Louisa Nicola

In this presentation you will learn the neuroscience behind decision making. By taking responsibility, understanding the reason a decision was made, unpacking the process, and identifying areas for targeted practice, future decisions can be improved. Insight into the decision-making process, coupled with an understanding of how each athlete approaches their options and acts, is the most effective way to help athletes improve in real-time competition.

How Quiet Eye Training Can Alleviate the YIPS

Joan Vickers, PhD

One of the most devastating things that can happen to an elite athlete is the YIPS. The YIPS afflicts elite athletes in golf, gymnastics, darts, cricket, tennis and many other sports. They suffer from a loss of fine motor control, extreme anxiety, freezing and the inability to perform well known skills. Golfers can no longer execute short putts, gymnasts like Simone Biles can no longer complete rotations, tennis player can't execute serves, baseball players can no longer throw the ball accurately. In her presentation D. Vickers will introduce the quiet eye and quiet eye training using examples from well known sports. She will then describe her recent quiet eye training experiences with an LPGA golfer who has been able to overcome the YIPS and continue competing at the highest level. Current research underlying the causes of the YIPS and how establishing a new neural network that includes the use of the quiet eye will be presented.

Ocular Injuries and Eye Protection for Sports and Recreational Activities

Dale Pfriem
Emmanuel Alabi OD, PhD, FAAO

Mr. Pfriem, an internationally recognized expert in the field of protective equipment, will review the various ASTM Protective Eyewear Standards, their visual and protective requirements as appropriate for the environment of anticipated sport activity risk, and how protective eyewear is assessed against these standards. Dr. Alabi will cover mechanisms of ocular injuries likely to be encountered by individuals who do not wear the appropriate sports protective eyewear (e.g., industrial protective eyewear or street wear) on the playing field. The presentation will follow sports related eye injuries affecting different components of the anterior and posterior segment of the eye.

Neural Correlates in Concussion Rehabilitation - "Can we be more specific?"

Joshua Lander, DC, MS, DACNB, CSCS

This presentation will provide an overview of current concussion rehabilitative best practices and strategies with a perspective on neural substrate localization and focused rehabilitation.

Topics in Shooting Vision

Walter Potaznick, OD, FAAO

Many of those who participate in shooting sports are aware of the role of vision and the importance of blocking out their non-sighting eye and providing the best possible focus with their sighting eye. Ultimately, the goal is to maximize visual performance—clarity, contrast, alignment, reaction time—of the competitors. This lecture, presented by an avid sports shooter, will discuss the art and science of shooting. Topics will cover types and demands based on weapon use, prescribing considerations and other issues. Emphasis will be on safety and adaptive optical devices. Practical and current issues will be discussed.

Keeping the Athlete's Head in the Game

Solomon Gould, OD, MBA

We all know that 80% of our brain's sensory information comes from the visual system and that visual impairment negatively effects cognitive function. But it's not only uncorrected refractive error that affects brain function; diplopia, photophobia, oculomotor disfunction, delayed reaction time and visual processing speed among other anomalies can also play a part. This presentation will review how key testing metrics as part of a global performance evaluation can positively enhance a Optometric Sports Medicine Program.

Research review: A roadmap to build the evidence base for sports vision

Greg Appelbaum, PhD
Nicklaus Fogt, OD, PhD

In this talk we will review studies that have tested visual assessments and training programs that aim to measure and enhance sport performance. Challenges and successes in this research will be discussed, as will opportunities for all stakeholders in sports vision to collaborate to move the field forward.

Adding a Sports Training Facility to your Practice

Panel Discussion

Thinking about adding a sports vision training room(s) at your practice or, perhaps, building one at a separate location?

This type of investment depends on how in-depth and advanced the services, and what services, you want to provide. There are a lot of different factors that go into the planning and building process. During this panel discussion, practitioners who have added sports training facilities to their practices share their experiences and offer advice on things you should consider before going down this path.