OPTICAL PRISM July 2021 | Page 31

It ’ s a cool November morning in Washington , D . C .
OPTICAL PRISM | FEATURE
PHOTO BY LESLY JUAREZ UNSPLASH
It ’ s a cool November morning in Washington , D . C .
The year is 2019 . There is no COVID-19 pandemic and hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in the United States capital to cheer on the Washington Nationals after an epic World Series win .
Under a clear autumn sky , the sea of revellers in red , salute the players riding in open-top buses along Constitution Avenue .
Some people have waited hours to catch a glimpse of Max Scherzer , Stephen Strasburg or Keith Smithson ... wait ... Keith who ?
Dr . Keith Smithson didn ’ t throw a single pitch or hit any home runs . He didn ’ t dress for any games , yet , he played an integral role in bringing the World Series back to Washington for the first time in nearly a century .
Smithson is the team optometrist for Washington ’ s pro sports teams and what a ride it ’ s been .
A Stanley Cup for the Capitals in 2018 . A WNBA championship for the Mystics in 2019 and then a World Series win that same year , because , why not ?
Smithson ensures that every player , from the draft to the big leagues , sees the game with optimal vision . In this sitdown with Optical Prism , he talks about the mind-blowing evolution of sports vision therapy , the rewarding nature of his work and the perks of treating eyes worth $ 38-million per season .
FIRST PITCH
Smithson was always a determined athlete himself . Growing up in Pennsylvania , he loved soccer and even played at the college level .
However , a path to the pros wasn ’ t in his future .
Left : Dr . Smithson with the WNBA trophy . Right : Dr . Smithson with his World Series Championship ring .
“ I knew that I wanted to do something involving medicine and something that would help me stick around sports ,” recalls Smithson . “ But I never really put it together until I had a class about the concept of vision and I found it fascinating .”
These days , pro sports clubs invest heavily in medical personnel to get an edge on the competition .
Smithson says today ’ s technology to identify and correct vision issues is almost unbelievable , using computers to crunch numbers and run virtual training exercises . Contrast that to 20 years ago when all they had was , as Smithson puts it , “ beads on strings .”
“ There was no science behind it . We just kind of thought it would work so we threw it on the wall to see if it would stick . And now you have things that are quantifiable that you couldn ’ t imagine before .”
Smithson ’ s team can administer a comprehensive , dynamic vision test on the athletes using the portable , all-in-one RightEye Vision System in as little as 5-minutes . The system automatically tracks thousands of undetectable eye movements and generates a detailed 15-page report illustrating those eye movements and also identifies any dynamic vision-related deficiencies .
Then , they create a customized training program that remediates and resets the athlete ’ s focusing mechanism .
“ You can get them tracking pucks and targets and balls more efficiently than they were before ,” explains Smithson . “ You can track their eyes ’ movements to the millisecond and even how their brain processes information .”
BRAIN MATTERS
The job isn ’ t just about performance enhancement .
Sports concussions are top of mind and Smithson plays a big role in rehabilitation . He says he ’ s noticed a major shift since he started working with pro athletes .
“ I think people are aware that they have to take it seriously . We realize now that we have to take players off the field and give them a chance to heal as opposed to , ya know , telling them to ‘ rub dirt on it and go back and play .’ ”
Smithson also points to research that says visual skills enhancement may even prevent head injuries and concussions in the first place .
“ If an athlete is going out and performing their sport more safely because they see the world quicker
OPTICAL PRISM | July 2021 29