How to Find a Good Sports Vision Doctor

The easiest way to find a sports vision specialist is to ask your eyecare practitioner for a referral. The next easiest way is to check the Yellow Pages. Most are optometrists, but many others are ophthalmologists, especially those who practice refractive surgery on athletes.

The Internet is a great place to find a sports vision specialist, because many prominent ones have websites where they explain what they do. Simply use the key words "sports vision doctor." To narrow down the field, do an advanced search including your geographic location.

The main organization representing sports vision specialists is the American Optometric Association Sports Vision Section. This group can give you more information about finding a specialist.

Even slow-paced sports require good depth perception, contrast sensitivity, color perception and visual memory. Sports vision specialists can help you develop these visual skills.

Another well-known organization is The College of Optometrists in Vision Development. The COVD is devoted mainly to the study of vision development in children. Optometrists in this field practice vision therapy, which seeks to correct childhood vision problems. However, some of the tests and treatments these practitioners use are also used in sports vision.

It's also a good idea to ask the coach of a local high school or college team for the names of sports vision specialists. He or she will probably have worked with one and can tell you how effective the treatment was.