Visual function of English Premier League soccer players

ABSTRACT Purpose: Examine visual function of soccer players of different skill level and playing position. Methods: Elite players from an English Premier League soccer club (n = 49) and intermediate players (n = 31) completed an assessment on a Nike SPARQ Sensory Station of: static and dynamic visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, accommodative vergence facility, target capture and perception span. Results: There was no difference between elite and intermediate players for all measures. However, competitive soccer players (elite, intermediate) did exhibit better performance in acuity-based measures of visual function and accommodative vergence compared to a population of healthy non-athletic adults (n = 230). With regards to player position, defensive players showed quicker accommodative vergence facility compared with offensive players. Conclusion: Visual function of competitive soccer players is superior to non-athletic adults, but does not differentiate the elite and intermediate player. However, defensive players do exhibit faster accommodative vergence than offensive players. We suspect that this particular visual function is advantageous for defenders given the greater demand to continually shift gaze between players located at near and far locations.

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