Playing sports is an important aspect of many people’s lifestyle of wellness. To be good at any sport takes practice, and practice often involves specific exercises, such as learning to throw with pinpoint accuracy or developing speed and agility. Did you know, though, that your eyesight also factors into how well you play your chosen sport? In fact, if you look at the benefits of the following exercises, you could find the reason to engage in a few of them simply to improve your long-term visual acuity!
For healthy eyes, you may want to:
It isn’t only the muscles in your legs, arms, and back that promote high performance. Your eyes also do a lot of work on a daily basis. To stretch the muscles around the eyes, spend a few minutes a day just observing. First, an object that is right in front of you. Then, let your eyes focus on an object a few feet in front of you. Finally, move your eyes to an object farther away. Maybe this will be across the room, or maybe across the field. The key is that your eyes can focus clearly on the object. If they do not, the object is too close or too far away.
Check out the sidelines. By sidelines, we mean to check out your peripheral vision. Seeing what is beside you on either side is crucial for safe sporting activities, and is just plain good for anything you do. Checking out the sidelines is easy, just pay attention to what you see on your left without looking that way. Then, do the same on your right. Notice shapes, colors, and whatever other details you can.
One eye open. When you do something like bounce a ball with one eye open and the other closed, you are gaining hand-eye coordination that will help you avoid falls and other potential injuries, whether on the court or off.
Pick up the paddle. It may seem as though ping-pong is just a fun pastime, but it’s much more. This game is also good for gaining hand-eye coordination, which also means that the entire body is more receptive to visual cues. Like the one eye open exercise, a regular ping-pong game can improve safety during sports and everyday activities.
Is it time to have your eyes checked by an experienced ophthalmologist? Call our Winchester office at 540-722-6200.
Posted in: Eye Health
