Visual Performance And How It Relates To Athletic Performance.

Athletes are consistently striving to reach their performance peak using methods from steroids to hypnotism. This paper concentrates on finding an aspect of the visual system that separates the superior athlete from the poorer athlete. The subject group nwst be one whose respective sport requires a high degree of visual abilities. For this reason the Ferris State University womens varsity tennis team was chosen. Most of the tests used were selected on the basis that they had previously been shown to test visual skills that are
significantly more efficient in superior athletes vs. lesser athletes and athletes vs. nonathletes. The visual sklls tested were static distance acuities, distance heterophorias, near point of convergence, distance vergence facility, distance stereopsis, saccades, peripheral visual fields, and contrast sensitivity function. At the request of the tennis coach, the role of eye dolninancy was investigated. If the data proves the hypothesis, this information can be used to develope a visual training program that may potentially enhance athletic performance.