Sports Vision Training Can Be a Game-Changer for Your Practice

AT THE VISION DEVELOPMENT Team in North Royalton, OH, founder Alex Andrich, OD, and his wife Patti, an occupational therapist and a partner in the practice, offer standout vision therapy, treating kids with learning disabilities, brain injury patients and those with stress-related vision problems, to name just a few. But one aspect of their practice that really sets them apart is their top-flight sports vision training, which has helped Cleveland-area athletes of all ages, from school kids to adult professionals, address vision problems and improve their performance.

THE IDEA

Sports have always been a big part of the Andrichs’ lives; the couple met on Ohio State University’s alpine ski racing team. Alex also has a background in competitive beach volleyball and race-car driving, while Patti trained with the U.S. Olympic gymnastics squad. This competitive exposure allowed them to see how small improvements in skills can translate into big gains in performance. With vision being such a big part of sports, it was a natural fit for the couple to open a practice specializing in vision training.

THE EXECUTION

The practice as it exists today was built on Dr. Andrich’s background in VT. “Sports vision training is vision therapy practiced at the highest level,” he says. He took courses in advanced VT techniques and eventually obtained board certification through the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD). He also says the education and training offered by organizations working in vision therapy such as the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) provide excellent models on which to build vision training.

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A typical VT case would be a child with eye-tracking difficulty causing reading problems, but as Andrich explains, “When a successful outcome is achieved the child can read better — but they can also hit a baseball better. Utilizing the latest vision therapy tech has also helped to advance my sports vision practice.”

“We go beyond looking at the eyeball and treat vision as a whole-body sense,” says Andrich. “In baseball it is important to see the ball clearly but the visual system tells the motor system critical information about ‘where’ and ‘when’ so the motor system can respond accurately.”

For the past year, Andrich has served as vision coach for the Cleveland Indians, a role he also performs for the Cleveland Monsters hockey team and the Gladiators, the city’s arena football team. He’s responsible for the refractive and ocular health needs of the athletes, but a big part of what he offers has to do with performance. Depending on the sport, he will test the athletes on up to 20 visual performance skills, then put together a training plan for each athlete. “All athletes require core vision skills like eye tracking and eye teaming, but certain sports like baseball require really fast visual reaction and processing speeds, whereas a hockey player benefits from good central/peripheral vision integration,” he says.

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The practice’s large, high-ceilinged therapy room gives the team room for on-site vision training using sports equipment.

THE REWARDS

Dr. Andrich says the main reward he derives from being a sports vision training practitioner is seeing his athletes succeed. “The best athletes set themselves apart by the amount of work they put into their sport,” he says. “Sports are competitive by nature, so the elite athlete is always looking to improve performance. Improving vision skills gives them a competitive advantage and success on the field.” And off the field, having sports vision as a part of his practice has definitely allowed it to grow, he says.

 

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