Eyes, too, need exercise

Jason Hidalgo

Friday, Sept. 8, 2000 | 10 a.m.

An athlete steps up to home plate, brandishing his towering 6-foot-5-inch frame backed by 250 pounds of mostly ball-ripping muscle: the perfect slugger.

That is, until one crucial flaw comes to light -- his vision.

A person may have biceps the size of a tree trunk and enough power to launch a baseball to the moon, but none of that would make an iota of difference if the person can't see well enough to hit.

The same applies to athletes in just about every major sport you can think of, including basketball, football, tennis and golf.

While most people tend to focus on developing strength, flexibility and endurance when it comes to athletic training, not as much attention is given to developing those two crucial windows that allow players to focus on a 95-mph fastball or line up a game-winning birdie putt.

"The control system of your body (runs through) your visual system," says Dr. Richard Meier, a Reno, Nev., optometrist. "Your visual system represents 80 percent of your sensory (perception)."

Having good vision is also more than just meeting the old 20/20 standard, Meier says.

"Most people (look at 20/20) ... but vision is more than that," Meier says. "It also involves (skills such as) being able to track and focus at the same time."

Some people may think of vision and sight in similar terms but the former incorporates the latter and much more.

Besides the ability to just "see," vision also includes the ability to see fast moving objects, see things and people in the corner of your eye, filter visual distractions to focus on an object, depth perception and good old hand-eye coordination.

The importance of these visual abilities becomes quite evident in sports.

Nicolas Brown, 21, who plays baseball at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, recently underwent Meier's visual therapy program.

Exercises included computer exercises and turning red dots on and off by touch on a big screen, Brown says.

"I had a really good year this year so I think it helped," Brown says. "I see the ball a little bit better. If anything, it allowed me to relax more and find out how to focus."

But the benefits of vision aren't limited to accomplishments in sports or your typical recreational activities.

Meier also works with people like head-injury victims and stroke patients to get them back on track.

Reno, Nev., resident Tom Taber, 61, also has his son and namesake, 17-year-old Reno High student and baseball player, Tom, reaping unexpected benefits from his visual therapy program.

"His acquisition of the ball is better, (but a nice) side effect is that he' s really doing a good job reading," Meier says.

Rates vary across the country for visual therapy. Meier typically charges $55 per visit or $660 for a 12-week program.

If you don't have that much money to spare, however, try the American Optometric Association's suggested exercises to improve vision: