The Eyes Have It!
If You Can't See the Ball...

by Daniel Shube

Keep your eye on the ball. Read the green. Get a line on your target. Heard that before? What's the sense if your vision is not accurate? Vision and golf. The technology is rapidly changing. Here's an update.

In Training

You've heard of Swing Trainers &endash; how about an Eye Trainer? You know if you're right- or left-handed, but are you left- or right-eyed? How well do you align to your target? Ever misread a putt? Now that you're thinking about it, how important is vision to scoring ability on the golf course? If you answered "very important"...you're right!

Optometrist and Board Certified Vision Trainer, Dr. Lawrence D. Lampert has a practice in Boca Raton (561-391-3334) where he provides vision rehabilitation to stroke and head injury victims, treats adults and children with binocular dysfunction, and provides Sports Vision Training programs to professional and amateur athletes (including players from the Yankees, Cubs, Dolphins, and pro golfers, tennis players and Olympic athletes). In his new book, The Pro's Edge - Vision Training for Golf ($14.95 at bookstores or call Saturn Press at 561-477-6602), Dr. Lampert explains the importance of vision to golf and provides self-tests to rate your vision ability and exercises to train your eyes for peak performance. "This is a cutting edge technology, the pro's best kept secret. Now it's catching on. Nick Faldo did it and improved his putting dramatically. Now you can share in this competitive edge!"

Here's an exercise that you can do.

One Bead on a String

1. Place one bead on a piece of string about 8 to 10 feet long.

2. Mount on wall or doorknob and hold end to bridge of nose. Do you see two strings? Do they cross at the bead?

If you don't see two strings, do anti-suppression techniques...like tapping the side of head and opening up your awareness of your side vision. Remember, the string that goes to the right as it travels from you represents your right eye.

If the strings do not cross at the bead, but instead in front of it, you have to relax your eyes out and be aware of the periphery. If you see the strings cross past the bead, you must tighten your eyes and converge closer. The goal is to see two strings that cross at the bead.Reprinted with permission from The Pro's Edge.

Squint No More

El Niño aside, Florida isn't called the Sunshine State for nothing! The sun can be intense, especially during the long, hot summer. Early in the morning, the sun causes reflected glare off dew-covered fairways. All day, the sun reflects off the lakes. Glare is 7 to 10 times brighter than ambient light and has several effects on the eye, ranging from temporary blindness to eyestrain, which can lead to headaches and nausea. Not my idea of a great day on the links. High quality sunglasses are a "must" to protect a golfer's eyes and good time.

Costa Del Mar (800-447-3700), based in Ormond Beach, features GreensReader™ lenses designed specifically for golfers. They feature vermilion tint lenses that contrast and intensify color, providing maximum visual acuity. The grass appears "greener" for easier reads and the sky "bluer" for easy ball tracking. GreensReaders are 100% polarized for maximum eye protection, come in several lens materials, 25 frame styles and have a lifetime warranty against manufacturer's defect.

Oakley Golf (714-951-0991) features Polaric Ellipsoid™ lenses in golf specific Pro M Frames™, M Frames®, or Zeros® to provide a virtually distortion-free view and lens tint hues designed to enhance on-course visual acuity. A low profile nosepiece maximizes field of vision (vented nosepiece is optional).

 

Bifocals - Beware

A natural byproduct of aging is a condition called presbyopia. It results in problems in reading small print and focusing on anything beyond arm's length. For the past 200 years, bifocals have been the answer to this problem. If you're a golfer, this solution is far from ideal.

A round of golf requires vision for in-between distances, especially when putting. During the full swing, a golfer will repeatedly look down at the ball and up at the target. According to Alan Berman O.D., "...if it takes too long for the ball or target to come into focus, it can break your rhythm and cause you to hit before you're ready."

A solution to the bifocal problem is progressive lenses, which correct vision without "breaks." Varilux®, a leader in research on the effects of presbyopia on golfers, recently introduced Varilux Comfort® lenses which feature the in*fos™ vision system, providing instant focus everywhere you look throughout the lens. They can be tinted for sun protection. For a free demonstration at an eyecare professional near you, call 800-VARILUX, Ext. 19.

Where Are Tom Kite's Glasses?

Tom Kite always wore glasses. He had to...his vision was 15/400! He was constantly cleaning his lenses, especially in windy and rainy conditions. He had been asking his doctor for years about corrective laser surgery, but the response was always, "not yet." Have you recently noticed that his glasses are gone? He's not wearing contacts. His doctor finally concluded that a new type of laser surgery, Lasik, was right for Tom.

I recently met a woman named Georgia Veith who had a similar problem. Her vision was horrible. She couldn't wear contacts and was upset at facing a lifetime of wearing thick, unattractive glasses. Being the academic type, she spent seven years researching what is commonly called "refractive surgery." It paid-off big time when she discovered Dr. Virgilio Galvis, one of the pioneers of Lasik surgery. Dr. Galvis was a top student of Jose I. Barraquer, known as the Einstein of Modern Refractive Surgery.

 

Carlos Ardila Lulle medical center in Bacaramanga, Columbia, where refractive surgery is performed, is known worldwide for its sterilization techniques.

Georgia's research proved that the technique and experience of the surgeon performing refractive surgery is of utmost importance. Would you want a beginner operating on your eyes? Neither did Georgia! She decided that she would travel to the ends of the earth to improve her vision, using the best surgeon she could find. She didn't have to go to the ends of the earth, only to Bacaramanga, a town (population 1 million) in Columbia. Much of modern eye surgery was actually pioneered in Columbia. Sounds strange, but Georgia now has perfect vision and is telling everyone who wants to shed their glasses to do what she did. It costs about the same to fly to Columbia, have the surgery, take a week-long vacation, as it would to have the surgery in the states. The painless procedure corrects nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, takes about ten minutes, and your vision is better immediately. You don't need to take a friend or relative (unless you want to). Groups of patients fly down together (like a junket), making for a party type atmosphere. They usually stay in a country club resort hotel with an 18-hole golf course, just minutes from the clinic. Georgia made many friends on her trip.

To get a free booklet that explains Lasik surgery and Dr. Galvis, call toll-free, 1-888-679-EYES (just leave your name and address).