A Visitor From Down Under
On February 16, we were honored to receive Pierre Elmurr, Sports Vision Director of Primary Eye Care in the Sydney, Australia area, who is the inventor of the SVT Eye-Hand training board. The SVT has been used all over the world as a tool to improve eye-hand coordination and speed, and Pierre has done the research to prove its validity. (That's Pierre in the middle, with Dr. B. on the left and Gary on the right in the photo.)
Pierre brought our board with him on a trip which included a visit with family in the Boston area, a meeting with Dr. Dan Laby, ophthalmologist for the Red Sox, and a run down to Fort Myers to gather some data with the board at spring training. We can't begin to say just how much we enjoyed meeting Pierre, and how much he was able to teach us in just a short visit. We only hope we can take him up on his invitation to visit his facility in Sydney sometime.
This board differs from our other board, the Wayne Saccadic Fixator, in several ways; first, it is driven from software residing in a laptop, rather than firmware in the board itself, so it is very easy to update and upgrade the software. It also records data in real time, displays it in onscreen, and can save it in a spreadsheet for further analysis. It uses lights and pusbuttons, much like other boards, but you only need to press within the circle to create a response, and you use your whole hand, unlike other boards which require pressing of a small area with only one or two fingers; so it more closely mimics actual sports performance.
At this point, Gary and I are still learning the various routines the SVT offers, and how to use them. But we are sure that this new board, which is also readily transportable, will become and essential component of our program of sports vision training. And once again, the best part of all was that we had the chance to meet and talk with Pierre.
2 comments:
Dr. Rob
I am extremely interested in Sports Vision. I am currently practicing Spokane, WA. I have experience with some SVT in southern FL with the Miami Dolphins eye doctors. I am in the process of searching for equipment. I know you have a new SVT board, and am curious if you find it more useful than the wayne saccadic fixator. Before I speak to the trainers of the sports teams here I want to get my equipment situation organized.
I look forward to any insight.
Dr. O
Dear Dr. O:
I think that if you could only have one to start with, the WSF has more different routines, as well as ability to be used with different attachments (balance board, accommodative rock module, Speed Track, etc.) But having said that, I think it's useful to have both. The SVT offers a larger area, can be used vertically or horizontally, and it sends results right into a spreadsheet.
Also, when you are working on the SVT, you have a much larger target area (the whole circle instead of just the light) so you use the whole hand instead of just a finger to press the light. Also, you can set the SVT to run a training session, then walk away and be able to do other things, which is helpful if you're going to be working with more than one athlete at a time.
While they do some things that are similar, I can see a place for both in my practice, and I'm sure I'll be using both on every athlete. The best thing about both of them is that they are portable. I have made a stand for the WSF and if you want, I can post pictures in case you wish to make one.
I think that you will find that if you do get involved with sports vision, there are many brilliant people out there working and researching within the field who will be very supportive, helpful, and friendly. I owe a great deal to several people that have been very kind to me.
I wish you the best,
"Dr. Rob"
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