Visual Requirements and Visual Performance Profile in Soccer

Review: Visual Performance Assessments for Sport

“…The expected level of visual acuity most likely depends on the visual task demands of each sport situation, as studies of different athlete populations have found differing visual acuity results. For example, the average visual acuity of professional baseball players has been found to be significantly better than the general population average, 27,38 whereas this has not consistently been found in soccer 28,34,35 …”

“…Reduced visual acuity has been shown to affect dynamic visual acuity, 23 depth perception, 24,25 and accommodative accuracy. 26 Some recent studies have found better static visual acuity in athletes than in nonathletes, [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and some have found no difference. [35][36][37] The expected level of visual acuity most likely depends on the visual task demands of each sport situation, as studies of different athlete populations have found differing visual acuity results.…”

“…For example, the average visual acuity of professional baseball players has been found to be significantly better than the general population average, 27,38 whereas this has not consistently been found in soccer. 28,34,35 Many of the visual demands in sports require discrimination of information that is moving, such as judging the speed and trajectory of a lacrosse ball. Dynamic visual acuity refers to the ability to resolve detail when relative movement exists between the observer and the test object.…”