New York Optometrist Helps Athletes of All Levels Improve Performance
New York optometrist, Dr. Anne Reuter-Hanna says a visit to the eye doctor as a student-athlete in college not only improved her performance in the classroom and on the playing field – it put the focus on what would become her life’s work.
“I was a biochemistry major and a highly competitive soccer player at the University of Wisconsin. In my fourth year, I started to get headaches. Although I had near-perfect sight, it was suggested that I go to see the eye doctor,” recalls Midwestern native Reuter-Hanna. The doctor visit revealed she had convergence excess, a condition where the eyes tend to aim inward during reading and close work. Her optometrist prescribed an individualized workout routine for the eyes called vision training.
“I went through the training program, and the first thing I noticed was that my game got better, then my academics improved, and my headaches went away. That’s when I knew I needed to do this for other people.”
Today, State University of New York College of Optometry alumna Reuter-Hanna ’08 runs a successful optometry practice in Oyster Bay, New York, specializing in neuro-cognitive and athletic vision performance for athletes of all ages and skill levels, with an emphasis on helping amateurs become elite players. Her work includes serving as the exclusive sports vision doctor for the John McEnroe Tennis Academy and providing care for patients at the NYC Traumatic Brain Injury Center.
“For a long time, sports performance focused on physical fitness, nutrition and psychology. Now we’re looking at what else we can change and understand that it all starts in the eye,” explains Dr. Reuter-Hanna. “We see mostly with our brain – an area that can be molded, fortified and enhanced to increase performance.”
Sports vision is a branch of optometry that offers specialized vision care services for athletes. It involves a comprehensive examination of the athlete’s ocular health, correction, assessment of visual function, protection, treatment of eye injuries, as well as a regimen of visual exercises to improve the visual skills necessary to excel in various sports.
Depending on findings from an initial sports vision evaluation, contact lenses or glasses may be prescribed for a particular sport. Eyewear may improve distance vision or provide a tint to achieve better contrast on the field or court. Other patients may require vision devices or techniques to enhance visual-motor skills, that’s where sports vision training comes into play.
“The goal is to optimize the brain’s ability to react to visual signals and improve eye-hand or body-eye coordination, balance, eye tracking, focusing, visual reaction time, dynamic visual acuity, peripheral vision, and the ability to respond appropriately to objects in motion – often when we, ourselves, are in motion.”
For example, most sports require a player to track a ball or puck and judge where it is in space. Without excellent eye tracking skills and depth perception, a player is at a disadvantage. Even the most elite players can elevate their game by honing these fundamental skills says Dr. Reuter-Hanna.
“And given that we’re all so focused and dependent on our computers and phones these days, there’s no doubt we can all benefit from taking a screen break and strengthening the eye-brain connection through vision training.”
About SUNY Optometry
Founded in 1971 and located in New York City, the State University of New York College of Optometry is a leader in education, research, and patient care, offering the Doctor of Optometry degree as well as MS and PhD degrees in vision science. The College conducts a robust program of basic, translational and clinical research and has 65 affiliated clinical training sites as well as an on-site clinic, the University Eye Center. SUNY Optometry is regionally accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; its four-year professional degree program and residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. All classrooms, research facilities and the University Eye Center, which is one of the largest optometric outpatient facilities in the nation, are located on 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan. To learn more about SUNY Optometry, visit www.sunyopt.edu.
Organization contact: Adrienne Stoller, communications@sunyopt.edu, 212-938-5600
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