For your eyes to work well together as a team, your focus and eye coordination skills must be excellent. You need to be able to quickly and accurately fixate on a target object, then switch between near and far objects.
For example, a baseball pitcher must be able to focus on the glove of the catcher, then shift focus to the base runner. A soccer player may misjudge when to kick the ball, or a hockey player may shoot too early or too late, because of poor focus and eye coordination. If there is a mismatch or inconsistency in these skills, then you receive inaccurate information as to where and when you need to move.
String and Beads Exercise
In this exercise, you’ll train your eyes using a string and beads held up to your face. Put two beads on a six-foot string. Tie one end to a doorknob or have someone hold it. String the beads so one will be about four inches away from your face when you hold the string up to your nose, and the other bead will be about twenty inches away.
Now hold your end of the string at the bridge of your nose. Look at the near bead. Keep that bead single. You should see two strings, as though one was coming from each eye. If your fixation on the bead is accurate, the strings should appear to cross directly through the center of the bead, forming an “X” pattern with the center of the “X” in focus.
Now look at the distant bead. You should again see an “X” made by the strings, with the center of the “X” crossing through the distant bead. You should also see two near beads.
Jump your focus back and forth between the distant bead and near bead. Always be aware of the strings, the clarity of the beads and strings, and the visual and physical stress this activity may cause. If you don’t see an “X,” the strings intermittently disappear, or the bead appears doubled, then you may have an eye coordination problem. You should then schedule a vision exam with a sports vision optometrist.
Add more challenge: Put the string in different locations specific to your sport and still try to see the “X.” For example, a golfer may want to place the end of the string towards the ground where the golf ball sits. A basketball or volleyball player may want to tie the end of the string to the basketball hoop on top of the net. Jump and move as you use the string to make sure both eyes are staying focused and coordinated.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to optometrist Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, O.D., FCOVD, FAAO, for this excerpt from her latest book: See It. Say It. Do It! 50 Tips to Improve Your Sports Performance. Dr. Hellerstein has been a pioneer in vision therapy for more than 30 years. http://www.LynnHellerstein.com