Classification in Para skiing: do better performing skiers have better visual functions?

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Ophthalmology
• Disability Sports

Background:

• Current Paralympic classification for visually impaired skiers relies on static visual acuity and visual field diameter.
• There is a need to explore a broader range of visual functions to better understand performance differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if diverse visual functions differ among Paralympic skiers with varying performance levels.
• To evaluate the relationship between visual function and skiing performance in Para nordic and Para alpine athletes.

Main Methods:

• Assessed static and dynamic visual acuities, contrast sensitivity, light/glare sensitivity, and visual fields in elite Para nordic (n=26) and Para alpine (n=15) skiers.
• Calculated skiing performance using modified points systems based on raw race times.
• Clustered skiers by performance and compared vision and non-vision variables.

Main Results:

• Better performing Para nordic skiers had significantly better static visual acuity and larger visual fields.
• In Para alpine skiing, higher-performing clusters showed significantly better static visual acuity across multiple disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, Super-G).
• Improved dynamic visual acuity was observed in the top-performing cluster for downhill skiing.

Conclusions:

• Skiers with better performance exhibit superior visual functions in both Para nordic and alpine disciplines.
• The findings suggest a potential revision of classification, separating skiers with light perception/no light perception from those with quantifiable static visual acuity.