Page 24 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition November-December 2021

DO BATTERS KEEP THEIR EYES DRY EYE
ON THE BALL? DISEASE AND
DEPRESSION
Do batters keep their eyes on the ball? This question has been
a baffling one for researchers since a long time now.
Dry eye disease seems
A review of the few film- and lab-based studies on the subject to have a major impact on
proposes that yes, indeed, batters’ eyes are watching the pitched the quality of life. As many
ball. But they are moving their heads, and not their eyes, to direct as 47% of patients with dry
their gaze. eye disease reported mental
After scrutinising previous studies on head and eye health difficulties in a study
movements in baseball batters, researchers from the Ohio State published in BMJ Open.
University determined that there was actually no consensus on The study analysed the
which head and eye movements were most likely to improve responses to an online survey
batting performance, however, they felt that further investigation of 1000 individuals with dry
could get the sport to the point at which eye gaze-based batting eye disease (DED) and 1000
training is possible. respondents without the
“One question we had was whether batters actually keep their condition. The researchers
eye on the ball, and if they do, does that lead to some advantage?” found that those with DED
said Nick Fogt, professor of optometry at Ohio State and co- reported negative effects on
author of the review. visual function, their ability to
carry out daily activities and
“What we’ve found, and it’s been replicated several times, is work productivity. As many as
that they do keep their eye on the ball, but they don’t turn their 47% of the patients reported
eyes – they turn their head, which is fruitful in terms of a scientific anxiety or depression as
question: Is there some reason why you would do it this way? against 32% without the
Presumably there is, but we don’t quite have that nailed down condition. Many of them with
yet,” he said. severe symptoms reported

Amidst all the doubts, the one thing that appeared to be missing more time from
certain was that during the half-a-second journey of a pitched ball work as a result of their
to home plate, batters were negotiating a lot of visual and neural symptoms.
signals –some of which contradicted each other. According to study lead,
“By keeping their head and eyes toward the ball, batters are Dr Pawez Hossain, from the
essentially cancelling out what is known as the vestibular ocular University of Southampton,
reflex (VOR), which allows us to see a stable world as our heads the research provides useful
move around,” Andrew Toole, associate professor of clinical information on the impact of
optometry at Ohio State said. dry eye disease on a patient’s
eye health.
“The VOR helps us maintain our gaze toward where we’re
looking in space,” Toole said. “When it comes to something like Co-morbidities were also
batting, when I’m rotating my head to follow the ball, the VOR is common among those with
telling my eyes to go in the opposite direction. … So that VOR has dry eye symptoms, with
to be cancelled if the eyes are going to stay on the ball.” twice as many suffering from
The study findings consistently showed that baseball players arthritis, hearing loss and
at all levels kept their eye on the pitched ball with similar head irritable bowel disease as
movements, and also suggested that the process of swinging the compared to those who did
bat does not seem to influence what the eyes and head are doing. not have the ailment.
The review is published in the Optometry and Vision
Science journal.

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