Sports vision
All fired up
Lyons reveals that for a project
assessment on his diploma course he
measured the effects of heart rate on
the accuracy of shooters at the National
Indoor Rifle Association (NIRA).
‘It’s on my doorstep, five miles
away from one of my practices and it
was good to access a large variety of
different sportsmen of different levels.
I tested people there who shoot only
once or twice a month all the way up
to international athletes. Aside from
easily being able to get enough data to
fulfil the project, I thought it would
also be a good commercial opportunity.
It’s allowed me to gain experience in
the local area and bring patients into
the practice.’
Lyons has prescribed sports eyewear
to shooters, incorporating tints to
enhance visual perception. Aside from
his work at the NIRA, He also provides
sports vision therapy to Olympic archer
Alison Williamson as part of Johnson
& Johnson’s ‘Be the Best You Can Be’
programme. Not having any prior
knowledge of archery, he conducted
research into the visual requirements
of archers.
16 | Optician | 29.08.08
Hitting target
Optometrist Ed Lyons of Flint & Partners, Wolverhampton attended
the Sportvision Group’s Diploma in Sportvision Practice course in
Dublin. He talks to Alex Thomas about its benefit to business
Rex Features
W
ith a long-standing
interest in sport that
saw him practise
judo at national level,
as well as being a
keen rugby player and snowboarder,
optometrist Ed Lyons, a partner at Flint
& Partners, was keen to incorporate
sports vision into his practices.
‘I was always interested in sport
from a young age and as a -6 myope
my eyesight and sporting performance
have always been linked together, so
I’ve had an interest in it from that
perspective,’ he explains.
‘It makes a refreshing change from
day to day eye examinations. It presents
new challenges and allows you to think
laterally. It’s also good to start building
a reputation as a specialist in a field. At
the moment there’s nobody else in this
area that does this sort of work.’
The professional value of Lyons’
diploma to Flint & Partners has also
become increasingly evident. ‘We have
gone from not stocking any sports
frames in 2006, to selling 45 last year.
This year between January and August,
we’ve already sold 85,’ he divulges.
Speaking about the progression of
his sports vision work, Lyons says:
‘Bringing sports vision into your
practice can be a lengthy undertaking.
It takes quite a lot of time, patience and
perseverance to build up both your
experience and your reputation.’
Ed Lyons and GB
Olympic archer
Alison
Williamson
out that a 70-year-old woman that
comes into our practice once a year
is a keen amateur golfer and she also
suffers from glare caused by cataracts.
I fitted her with an Adidas Evil Eye
frame with Rupp+Hubrach wraparound polycarbonate lenses and a
contrast-enhancing tint. She’s over the
moon because she can see more clearly
and play her golf more comfortably.’
Lyons maintains that ‘it’s vital to
have as much awareness of the sports
practised by his patients as possible and
of as many sports as possible’ to be able
to attract a wide range of patients.
‘I’ve been a keen snowboarder over
the past five years and as a result of
that I’ve been able to develop our
range of winter sportswear. This has
brought in customers interested in
snow sports, who know I have some
comprehension of their needs.’
Also having worked with the Sports
Vision Group screening Britain’s elite
under-18 judo pool, Lyons explains
that by approaching different sporting
bodies with the Group, he has gained
the confidence and skill to do sports
vision screenings en masse. ‘Now
I’ve gained that experience as well
as numerous recommendations I can
approach the local sporting community
about screenings.’
It is that local sporting community
with which Lyons predominantly
intends to do most of his sports vision
work. ‘I’m not always looking to apply
sports vision principles to the elite. If I
work with top-level sportsmen that’s
fantastic, but a lot of those principles
and a lot of the dispensing are very
useful to apply to the general patient.’
Giving an example he says: ‘I found
Product choice
Asked about the products he stocks in
the four practices, Lyons elaborates:
‘Before I did the Sports Vision
Diploma, I was actively looking for
sports eyewear for my own use, such
as sunglasses and goggles for winter
sports. I had a look at Oakley and Bollé
and Rudy Project. Then I met the
director of Adidas and decided that its
range covered a lot of different bases.
We now stock a comprehensive range
of Adidas in most of our practices,
which I’d use with Rupp+Hubrach
lenses. Typically, I use Adidas Evil
Eye in all its parameters with very
good results. I’ve used that for a lot
of motorcyclists as it fits nicely under
their crash helmets and its sides are
adjustable so you can change the pitch,
as well as the bridge of the nose.’
Lyons describes sports vision as ‘a
great practice builder’ and says initially
he was looking to work with the
practices’ existing patient base making
additional dispenses. Yet after several
years of sports vision work he says he
is more confident going out to screen
at local sports associations to further
develop the business.
‘In the next few years, I’ll be looking
to bring the 5-10 per cent of my
business that sports vision currently
represents to something nearer 20-30
per cent.’ ●
opticianonline.net