Visual Function in Athletes from Different Team Sports and Non-Athlete Controls

Henrique Nascimento, ana roque e Clara Martinez-Perez

Abstract

Visual skills are increasingly recognized as critical to athletic performance, yet it remains unclear whether participation in specific team sports is associated with enhanced visual function. This cross-sectional study compared visual acuity, peripheral vision, stereoacuity, ocular alignment, and refractive error among 52 participants aged 15–56 years: basketball (n = 10), futsal (n = 9), hockey (n = 12), roller derby (n = 9), and non-athlete controls (n = 12).

Standardized assessments included best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR), Hirschberg shift, peripheral perception using a tachistoscope, stereoacuity with the Randot® test, and non-cycloplegic autorefraction. Group comparisons were conducted using ANOVA, post hoc analyses, and regression models adjusted for age. Significant differences were ob served only for visual acuity (F(4, 47) = 4.46, p = 0.003, η 2 = 0.275): non-athlete controls (0.00 ± 0.08 logMAR) and basketball players (0.02 ± 0.05) showed the best performance, while roller derby athletes demonstrated the poorest (0.16 ± 0.12). No significant group differences were found for peripheral vision, stereoacuity, Hirschberg deviation, or refractive error, and the poorer acuity in roller derby remained after adjustment for age.

These findings suggest that participation in team sports does not universally confer superior visual function and that static clinical measures may overlook the dynamic visual–motor strategies that underlie athletic performance.