Our visual skills are used virtually every waking minute of the day, though we don’t give them much thought at all. These visual skills don’t only include eyesight, but also your eye movements. Whether for work, sports, or overall function, our eyesight simply becomes second nature.

One of the more crucial visual skills is known as depth perception, which can also be referred to as stereopsis or 3D vision. You will need two properly working eyes—that work together—in order to have depth perception. If you have reduced or no sight in one eye, then it will be significantly more difficult to distinguish depth perception. As you may be aware, 3D vision can be created artificially through the use of specialty glasses, which contain polarized lenses or are specifically colored like those that can be found in movie theaters.

Depth perception is something that is necessary for both near and far tasks. When you use depth perception at a distance, visual clues are utilized in order to determine if an object is further away or closer. These visual clues may be color comparison, size comparison, shadows, juxtaposition of objects, and overlapping images. As the distance increases, these clues will be greater in importance, and they become harder to distinguish and determine depth beyond five to 10 feet.

Depth Perception in Sports

When it comes to athletics, reduced near depth has the ability to impact your game in several different ways, including the following:

• Baseball – locating and maintaining focus on the ball one it has been spotted
• Basketball – judging distances in the game, operating in congested areas with defensive and offensive players
• Football – navigating within tight spaces, spatial awareness and seeing the play on numerous levels
• Soccer – navigating in tight spaces, successfully completing tackles, and keeper’s judgment on coming out for a save
• Hockey – judging distances in the game, lining up checks and redirecting shots
• Tennis – judging distances in the game around the net and the edges of the court and judging the position of the ball
• Golf – navigating coloration of the slopes, greens, and shadows, which can enhance the ability to properly read a green and properly judging the distances of the holes

Depth Perception Can Be Trained with New Technology Advancements

Until here recently, it has been believed that one’s depth perception could not be improved—unless the issue was due to one’s need for optical correction. However, it has been discovered recently that vision training can enhance one’s ability to see 3D.

Vision Training can enhance visual skills comparable to a strength training program for one’s body. Boosting the resistance in vision training exercises are very similar to increasing weight during a strength training program.

You can also train other visual skills to enhance depth perception, such as divergence, convergence, and alternating flexibility. Depth perception remains a critical visual skill that can be expected to improve with the right vision training exercises. Just think about how much more you can experience and enjoy, such as hitting a ball squarely or a 3D movie!

If you would like to learn more, contact us today a Performance Vision.