Florida Eye Specialists is excited to announce that Jacksonville Jaguars players will participate in a pilot program aimed at enhanenhancing their performance through improved vision, sensory motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Florida Eye Specialists’ Sports Vision Training program will soon be available to the local athletic community.., Florida Eye Specialists is launching the program as part of its new role as the official eye care provider of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sports Vision Training is a type of specialized therapy used for many years, mostly with professional baseball and hockey players, said Dr. Kimberly Riordan of Florida Eye Specialists. Riordan worked with national leaders in this specialty earlier this year at the Oakland A’s spring baseball training camp in Mesa, Ariz. While its use with professional football players is relatively new, Sports Vision Training has been proven very effective, Riordan said.

"We tailor a training program specific to the sport and to the athlete," she said. "The program improves dynamic acuity, how their eyes work together as a team, how fast they can change focus, eye tracking, eye-hand coordination and peripheral vision. For certain players, it can make a huge difference in their overall performance."

Florida Eye Specialists’ new Sports Vision Training Center will offer the therapy in a 6-week program where patients visit twice weekly. When the Jaguar players’ pilot program concludes, Florida Eye Specialists plans to offer similar training to others, Riordan said.

Multiple research studies during the last two decades have shown that Sports Vision Training improves athletes’ performance. Athletes’ anticipation can be trained through video feedback of key visual stimuli from their opponents’ actions, according to research by Dr. Joe Causer at Liverpool John Moores University.

"Studies have shown that skilled performance is linked to having a longer and earlier 'quiet eye' on the relevant target," Causer wrote. "Training interventions designed to increase this quiet eye dwell time not only successfully enhance task performance in laboratory settings, but also transfer to competitive sports settings."

Florida Eye Specialists expects to begin the training program with a select group of Jaguars players before preseason games this fall. The program may become available to others locally as soon as later this year, Dr. Riordan said.

Florida Eye Specialists is one of the largest multi-specialty eye practices in North Florida and the official eye care provider of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Owned and operated by ophthalmologists, the practice provides comprehensive care from simple eye exams to complex surgery using the latest technology. Florida Eye Specialists has six locations and has served the community for more than 30 years. The experienced team of ophthalmologists and optometrists is dedicated to leading the industry in eye care and helping patients see clearly.