The World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo from 13th – 21st September 2025. In its 20th year, the World Athletics Championships celebrates top athletes from around 200 countries in 49 events.
The events include marathons, high jump, pole vault, relays and more.
Vision and sports
Athletic performance is often associated with attributes like speed, agility, endurance and strength. However, vision also plays an important role in sports.
Here are some ways eyesight can affect an athlete’s performance:
- Depth perception: Judging distance is essential for positioning as well as catching and passing objects.
- Focusing on a moving object or person can be difficult with vision problems.
- Peripheral vision: Poor peripheral vision can leave athletes vulnerable to what’s happening around them.
- Hand-eye coordination: Slower reaction times and reduced accuracy can cause problems in several sports.
Sports Vision
The link between eyesight and sports performance has been studied for decades. The term ‘Sports Vision’ or ‘Sports Vision Therapy (SVT)’ is the name given to this speciality.
Sports vision therapy (SVT) is a form of optometric care used to increase an athlete’s performance by improving their visual skills.
It involves exercises such as following moving targets, catching falling objects and identifying items in the peripheral vision field.
Eye conditions impacting sports
Unfortunately, many eye conditions – such as myopia (short-sightedness) – cannot be corrected or improved with sports vision exercises.
Wearing glasses can be a nuisance in everyday life, but even more so during sports. They can easily break or fall off and create a blind spot in the peripheral vision field.
Although sports glasses are an option, they not only add an extra expense but also often present the same issues as regular glasses.
Contact lenses are also an alternative but for some people they’re unsuitable and can create dry eyes, which can cause issues for athletes.
Whilst many athletes choose to compete without any corrective measures such as glasses or contact lenses, one can’t help but wonder if they would perform better with 20/20 vision (or better).
Laser eye surgery for athletes
Many athletes have opted for laser corrective surgery to improve their performance.
Vison correction surgery allows athletes to focus entirely on their performance, without the distraction of glasses or contact lenses.
A notable example is pro golfer, Rory McIlroy. McIlroy opted for LASIK in 2015, claiming his poor vision caused him to struggle with putting.
Our athlete patients
Here at Optical Express, we’ve treated many athletes – both professional and amateur.
Just a few months ago, we treated Olympian, Kerenza Bryson. The 26-year-old modern pentathlete chose to receive laser eye surgery at our Bristol clinic.
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and cross-country running.
Kerenza is also a qualified doctor, with a medical degree from the University of Plymouth. She serves as a British Army reservist and was named the Armed Forces Sportswoman of the Year in 2023. Her hobbies include scuba diving, for which she is a qualified diver.
For someone so active, managing glasses – or the risk of infection from contact lenses – can be challenging. Kerenza opted for laser eye surgery to reduce distractions and enhance her performance, she said:
“I feel like I've been restricted by vision, especially with sports, having to swim and shoot – having perfect vision is really important. On a stage like the Olympic Games, the less distractions and variables you have to consider and worry about, the better.”
Kerenza described her experience at our Bristol clinic as supportive and reassuring. She couldn’t believe how quick the procedure was and is delighted with her results.
Not only has the procedure benefitted her sports career, but she is enjoying visual freedom in her personal life. A camping trip shortly after her surgery made her stop and appreciate her newfound freedom.
She said, “I’m only three or four weeks post-op and I still sometimes just stop and think ‘Oh my goodness, I can see all the branches really clearly on that tree!’.”
Laser eye surgery recovery times for sport
Whether it is LASIK, LASEK or SMILE – laser eye surgery could be the best decision you ever make as an athlete. With quick recovery times on most procedures, you won't be away from your beloved sport for long either!
Book your free consultation now and see how vision correction surgery could help you come out on top.
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