Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity testing for sports vision

: The building blocks of effective sports vision are visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. Proper measurement of these spatial vision attributes is necessary for repeatability in the clinic or in the laboratory. The most repeatable method of testing visual acuity is with logMAR charts-either the Bailey-Lovie chart or the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart. The Pelli-Robson and the Mars are the most repeatable contrast sensitivity tests. Athletes may or may not demonstrate superior visual acuity and contrast sensitivity compared with age-matched nonathlete populations, and the optical quality of their eyes may be similar. Dynamic visual acuity in athletes and their performance are typically superior to those of nonathletes. How these differences relate to on-field performance is not known. Other changes to the visual system because of refractive surgery or contact lens wear may increase higher order aberrations and reduce low-contrast visual acuity. The ability to improve already-normal visual acuity is unclear although contrast sensitivity can improve with fast-paced video games. Tinted contact lenses help reduce discomfort glare and speed up adaptation but do not have an appreciable effect on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.

The use of valid and repeatable visual acuity and contrast sensitivity tests is essential for measuring the differences in visual performance among athletes and nonathletes. The development of a standardized dynamic visual acuity test is needed as are well-controlled scientific studies to evaluate the benefits of sports vision training.