Winning the Game Starts with Seeing the Ball.
Sharp distance vision, quick tracking, and strong visual skills help athletes perform their best. At Zionsville Eyecare, we specialize in detecting, treating, and slowing early myopia so your child can compete at their best. Here are six evidence-based ways to prepare your child’s vision for sports.
1. Prioritize Time Outdoors: Research shows spending more time outdoors reduces myopia risk and supports eye development.
Aim for 60-120 minutes of outdoor time daily.
Encourage distance-focused play like field sports, catch, or cycling.
2. Limit Continuous Near Work & Use Breaks: Long, uninterrupted close work (reading, screens) is linked to higher myopia risk.
Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Limit non-school screen time and schedule outdoor breaks.
3. Schedule Regular Comprehensive Eye Exams: Early detection is key. If myopia is progressing, monitoring axial length and visual function helps guide timely intervention.
Schedule yearly exams, or more often if vision is changing.
Ask your optometrist about axial length measurement and sports vision testing.
4. Consider Evidence- Based Myopia Management: Clinical treatments can slow myopia progression and improve vision for sports.
Options include low-dose atropine drops, orthokeratology (Ortho-K), myopia-control contacts, and new spectacle lenses.
A personalized plan for your child’s vision needs works better than a single approach.
5. Train Sports-Specific Visual Skills: Sports vision training enhances coordination, tracking, peripheral awarenes, and focus switching, which are all important for athletic success. These drills complement medial myopia control but don’t replace it.
Ask your optometrist about sports-vision assessments.
Incorporate vision drills into athletic training.
6. Promote Healthy Visual Habits & Environment: Good daily havits help reduce eye strain: proper lighting, posture, hydration, protective eyewear, and adequate sleep all support visual comfort and performance.
Ensure proper lighting and screen distance.
Encourage hydration, blinking during screen use, and adequate sleep.
Ready to give your child the visual edge? Click below to schedule a sports-vision evaluation & myopia screening with our optometrists.