Sports Vision
Course Details
21 Hours
3 Days
Course Audience:
Optometrists, Therapists,
Health Professionals
Course Description
Although Optometry has been involved in sports for a long time, it is greatly under-utilized. A lot of ‘Sports vision’ has been more basic in nature (stressing prescribing contact lenses, and protective eye-wear.) The Optometrist practicing from the behavioral perspective has the opportunity to make a big difference in the actual performance of the athlete.
This course is geared toward learning how to help the athlete improve his or her performance and to help those athletes who have suffered concussion or mTBI recover and even exceed their prior levels of performance.
The course builds on the core OEPF Clinical Curriculum and it uses case examples throughout to help the attendees understand exactly how to apply that which they already know in this fascinating and fun population to work with. Athletes are humans, who have put in their 10,000 hours of work in an area they have talent. At their level of performance, even the smallest differences can be the difference between winning and losing. That ability to understand the visual demands of many of the sports we see played and using that understanding to finding the visual chink in their armor so that it can be fixed, is the mark of the sports vision optometrist.
Drs. Harris and Heddle have a wealth of knowledge that will help you gain the insights you need to make the difference in those you serve. The approach taken with athletes is to deal first with their general visual difficulties, then do activities that are good for athletes in general, finally moving to activities which are sport-position, and/or offense or defense specific. Actual case studies will be used. Specific sports to be covered will include basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, football, soccer, and drag strip racing.
With the increased awareness of concussions, our profession is seeing these patients soon after their medical condition is stabilized. Many new concerns, which were often not present much later in the patient’s care, need to be addressed. This course will give the attendees the tools to understand, diagnose and treat these patients and their visual problems.
Each course participant will receive a manual which includes suggested readings and sports vision screening materials.