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The Refractive Error of Professional Baseball Players
Daniel M Laby1, David G Kirschen
1*MD †OD, PhD, FAAO Sports and Performance Vision Center, State University of New York College of Optometry, New York, New York (DML); Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall Ketchum University, Fullerton, California (DGK); and Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (DGK).
Summary
The SVOne autorefractor generally measures refractive error in baseball players, though it may slightly overestimate myopia. Careful vision evaluation and correction are recommended for optimal baseball performance.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Sports Vision
- Optometry
Background:
- High visual acuity is crucial for effective baseball hitting.
- Low-order optical aberrations are primary causes of vision decrease.
- Understanding refractive error in athletes is key for performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- Validate the SVOne autorefractor's accuracy in professional baseball players.
- Quantify the prevalence and types of low-order optical aberrations in this cohort.
- Assess the clinical utility of autorefraction in sports vision.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 608 Major League Baseball players from 2016 Spring Training.
- Comparison of manifest refraction and SVOne autorefraction in a subset of players.
- Calculation of refractive error (spherical and cylindrical components) for the entire population.
Main Results:
- Borderline significant difference in mean spherical error between methods (P = .06).
- No significant difference in cylindrical components (J0, J45) between methods.
- SVOne autorefraction showed mean spherical error (M) of -0.228D, J0 of -0.013D, and J45 of -0.040D in the cohort.
Conclusions:
- The SVOne autorefractor is generally suitable for measuring refractive error in baseball players.
- A slight bias towards overestimating myopia was observed.
- Recommend thorough refractive status evaluation and subjective correction for players with sub-optimal vision.
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