The secret tool to get ahead that most athletes overlook is sports vision training (SVT).
Most athletes train their bodies, but they forget (or don’t even think of) training their vision. Sports Vision Training (SVT) is the hidden edge that can take you from good to great, whether you’re a young player just starting or a pro.
When you commit to sports vision training, you can improve in so many ways, including:
- Improved reaction time
- Better eye-hand coordination
- More peripheral awareness
- Sharpened depth perception
- Boosted visual memory
- Increased ability to focus under pressure
- Improved vergence (eye teaming)
- Refined dynamic visual acuity
- Improved visual tracking
- Greater mental focus and cognitive performance
- Enhance athletic performance
- Reduced visual fatigue
- Boosted confidence
If that list wasn’t clear enough, sports vision training is just as crucial as strength or speed training for sports like hockey, baseball, and basketball.
At Aurora Eye Care, we’re proud to launch the first sports vision training program in Northern Alberta. Our SVT programs are targeted, progressive, and personalized for each athlete and designed for hockey, baseball, basketball, and beyond. Already interested? Feel free to complete our SVT form to get started.
In this blog, we’ll cover:
- What sports vision training is
- The benefits of our local Grande Prairie sports vision training program
- When to consider sports vision training
- Sport-specific benefits of sports vision training
- The technology used during a sports vision training program
- Why choose Aurora Eye Care for sports vision training in Grande Prairie
Ready for more? Let’s dive in!
What is Sports Vision Training?
Sports vision training is not part of your general eye care routine and testing. It is a separate, doctor-supervised program that offers an individualized approach to enhancing visual skills for athletic performance. These visual skills enable our bodies to accurately move, calculate, and strategize on the playing field.
Visual skills impact sports performance more than most people are aware of. An example of this is eye teaming, or vergence, which is the basis for how our brains interpret depth. It gives us a gut knowledge of where we are and where everything else is. Fast and accurate eye teaming is essential for precise depth perception. Strong depth perception is the foundation for flawless reaction time and eye-hand coordination.
Sports vision training is a doctor-supervised program designed to improve the visual system’s function. Think of it as strength training for your eyes and brain. A sports vision training program consists of weekly in-office sessions lasting 45 minutes and home exercises to be completed 3-4 days a week, spanning 4-6 months.
A program consists of a sequence of neurosensory and neuromuscular activities individually prescribed and monitored by a doctor to develop, rehabilitate, and enhance visual skills and processing.
Each doctor-supervised program develops and sharpens visual skills that athletes rely on every day, including:
- Reaction time
- Hand-eye coordination
- Peripheral awareness
- Depth perception
- Visual memory
- Focus under pressure
- Tracking speed
- Visual endurance
Discover the world of sports vision training at Aurora with our expert guide.
Sports Vision Training for Alberta Athletes
The go-to sports vision training clinic for athletes in Grande Prairie? Aurora Eye Care! We pride ourselves on being the destination families and athletes choose to help develop their skills.
Did you know that up to 80% of athletic performance is visual? From reading the ice in hockey to following a pitch in baseball, vision guides how fast, accurate, and confident you are in the game.
The groups of people we’d recommend most for sports vision training include:
- Young athletes
- Competitive athletes of any age
- Recreational athletes
- Those recovering from injuries or concussions
And don’t think SVT is just for a certain level of athlete. It’ll help boost everyone’s performance.
Why choose Aurora? We’ve got some reasons.
- We’re a warm, supportive team that treats every patient like family while tailoring training to the individual athlete.
- Training plans are customized to each athlete’s strengths, weaknesses, and sport-specific demands.
- Aurora Eye Care is known in Grande Prairie for its compassionate care, innovation, and excellence in vision services.
- Our developmental optometrist, Dr. Charlotte Forgie (FOVDR), is residency-trained and board-certified in the diagnosis and treatment of visual skill problems. She has spent years learning new techniques to help her patients in ways traditional optometry can’t, and over a decade providing vision training to children, athletes, and post-concussion patients.
- Beyond sports vision, Aurora offers comprehensive eye health services, providing a complete approach to eye care and performance.
We’re not just training athletes’ eyes, we’re helping them reach their fullest potential.
We’d love to help you, your child, or your teen reach their fullest potential in their chosen sport. To get started, complete our online form or book an appointment with us in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
When You Should Consider Sports Vision Training
Sports vision training helps athletes develop visual skills that impact and improve their performance. These enhanced skills benefit not only on the court and field, but also in daily life.
If you notice yourself or your young athlete exhibiting these signs, it might be time to consider sports vision training:
- Delayed reaction time
- Inconsistent performance
- Struggles to track plays
- Looking to develop skills further
Benefits of SVT include:
- Faster reaction time
- Sharper focus under pressure
- Improved decision-making
- Better accuracy in passing, shooting, or hitting
- Reduced visual fatigue
- Boosted confidence on and off the field
In short: if you train your body and your mind, why not your vision?
From the Ice to the Field: Benefits of SVT by Sport
- Hockey
- Tracking the puck faster
- Boost peripheral vision for awareness of other players
- Quick decision-making
- Improve reaction time and accuracy for passing and shooting
- Basketball
- Enhance court vision
- Better spotting of teammates
- Anticipating opponents’ moves
- Improved focus and coordination that enhance dribbling, passing, and shooting
- Volleyball
- Faster reaction time for blocking and returning the ball
- Improve visual perception for better timing and positioning
- Baseball
- Batting
- Catching
- Fielding
- Tracking the ball from the pitch to the hit
- Eye-hand coordination
- Visual processing speed
Aurora’s Sports Vision Training Program Technology
Every sports vision training program is personalized to fit your current vision, sport, and goals, so the technology used can vary. We’re proud to bring state-of-the-art technology to Grande Prairie.
Quickboard
A dynamic visual training tool that helps athletes develop faster reaction times and improve eye-foot coordination.
Senaptec Sensory Station
A state-of-the-art sensory evaluation and training station which assesses ten visual and sensorimotor skills. We are currently the only location north of Edmonton that has this technology.
Neurotracker
A cognitive training system that enhances attention, mental focus, and peripheral awareness using 3D multiple object tracking exercises.
Fit Lights
Interactive training tools that use LED lights to create drills that improve reaction times and agility.
Senaptec Strobe Glasses
Athletes learn to make decisions with much less visual information, rapidly decreasing their reaction times. Using liquid crystal technology, they challenge the brain to process visuals more efficiently, sharpening reaction time and focus. Activate each visual region independently, allowing you to customize patterns to train different areas of your vision.
Reach Your Athletic Goals with Aurora Eye Care
Ready to take your skills to the next level with sports vision training and Aurora Eye Care in Grande Prairie?
Our team of dedicated experts are ready to help! Whether you’re a parent of a young athlete or an athlete looking to level up, it all starts with filling out our online form or booking an appointment with us in Grande Prairie.
We can’t wait to meet you!
FAQs
Why should I choose Aurora Eye Care for sports vision training?
Aurora Eye Care launched the first sports vision training program in Northern Alberta, with training plans customized to each athlete’s strengths, weaknesses, and sport-specific demands. Beyond SVT, the clinic is known in Grande Prairie for compassionate care and innovation in vision services, and offers a complete approach to eye care and performance under one roof.
Who is Dr. Charlotte Forgie?
Dr. Charlotte Forgie is Aurora Eye Care’s developmental optometrist and the doctor who oversees our sports vision training programs. She is residency-trained and board-certified (FOVDR) in diagnosing and treating visual skill problems, and has spent over a decade providing vision training to children, athletes, and post-concussion patients.
What are the signs my athlete might benefit from sports vision training?
Signs worth paying attention to include delayed reaction time, inconsistent performance, difficulty tracking plays, or simply wanting to develop skills further. If any of these sound familiar, sports vision training may help identify and strengthen the visual skills behind them.
What sports does Aurora’s sports vision training program support?
Our SVT programs are designed for hockey, baseball, and basketball, and beyond, with training plans customized to the visual demands of each sport. Whether it’s tracking a puck, reading a pitch, or spotting a teammate on the court, many of the same core visual skills come into play across different games.
What technology is used during a sports vision training program at Aurora?
We use tools including the Quickboard, Neurotracker, Fit Lights, Senaptec Strobe Glasses, and the Senaptec Sensory Station, which assesses ten visual and sensorimotor skills. We’re currently the only location north of Edmonton with the Senaptec Sensory Station, and every program is personalized based on the athlete’s current vision, sport, and goals.
Is sports vision training the same as a regular eye exam?
No, sports vision training is separate from your general eye care routine and testing. It’s a doctor-supervised program that works like strength training for your eyes and brain, using a sequence of neurosensory and neuromuscular activities to develop, rehabilitate, and enhance visual skills and processing.
Does Aurora Eye Care offer more than just sports vision training?
Yes, beyond sports vision training, Aurora Eye Care provides comprehensive eye health services, giving athletes and families a complete approach to eye care and performance in one place. This means your athlete’s overall eye health and their sport-specific visual skills can both be looked after by the same team.