Race track is a sport that is performed at extremely high speeds. Therefore, being able to react instantly to any new visual stimuli can make a big difference between winning and losing and, in some cases, the difference between continuing a successful race or crashing and risking injury. Racing professionals could benefit greatly from improving their vision skills. The ultimate goal of sports vision therapy is to get the eyes, the brain and the body all working together more accurately, more efficiently and and faster.
What visual skills are the most important in racing?
The skills you may want to develop when you consider someone involved in the sport of racing are a combination of:
- Focusing ability: Being able to rapidly switch focus between near and far objects is essential in a high-speed race since an opposing car that was some distance away suddenly finds itself right next to you in a matter of seconds.
- Convergence and divergence: A racer’s eyes should be able to efficiently converge and diverge during a race which is the ability to be able to turn the eyes inward to look at an object up close and the ability to be able to turn the eyes outward to look at something distant, respectively.
- Eye tracking and movement precision: Another skill that enhances a driver's ability to follow the race's flow is eye tracking.
- Enhanced Peripheral Awareness: This skill enables a driver to remain aware of what is happening around him during a race while still staying focused on what is happening in front of him or her. This is especially relevant for preventing other racers from overtaking you and to prevent collisions.
- Dynamic visual acuity: The ability to see, process, and react quickly to moving objects while in motion is called dynamic visual acuity. It is a skill that racers need throughout the entire race.
- Hand-eye coordination: This is clearly a crucial skill for driving, and it is all the more important for racing because of its high speed nature. With better hand-eye coordination, drivers will be better able to adjust their driving direction based on what they see.
If you are serious about taking your athletic ability to the next level, join us in our Hixson TN practice. Our eye doctor and therapists have extensive experience in functional vision improvement and can give you the edge over your competitors.
