Marathon running and vision

Sixteen optometric tests were administered to 29 athletes prior to and following their running the 1974 26-mile B.A.A. Boston Marathon. The tests included amplitude of accommodation, near point of convergence, stereopsis, depth perception, near phorias, ACA, near ductions, peripheral fields, and suppression. It appears that the systemic fatigue did not significantly affect the test values and it is reasonable to assume similar findings for other forms of athletics. While few optometrists' or ophthalmologists' patients are marathon runners, this study's findings may be extrapolatable to more common conditions.