Stalin Amritha, Creese Marieke, Dalton Kristine Nicole
School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Front Neurosci. 2021 May 13;15:648648. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.648648. eCollection 2021.
Nordic and alpine skiing-related visual tasks such as identifying hill contours, slope characteristics, and snow conditions increase demands on contrast processing and other visual functions. Prospective observational studies were conducted to assess the relationships between skiing performance and a broad range of visual functions in nordic and alpine skiers with vision impairments. The study hypothesized that contrast sensitivity (CS), visual acuity (VA), and visual field (VF) would be predictive of skiing performance. Binocular static VA, CS, light sensitivity, glare sensitivity, glare recovery, dynamic VA, translational and radial motion perception, and VF were assessed in elite Para nordic ( = 26) and Para alpine ( = 15) skiers. Skiing performance was assessed based on skiers' raw race times. Performance on the visual function tests was compared with skiing performances using Kendall's correlations (with and without Bonferroni-Holm corrections) and linear multivariable regressions ( < 0.05 considered significant). None of the vision variables were significantly correlated with performance in Para nordic or Para alpine skiing after Bonferroni-Holm corrections were applied. Before applying the corrections, VF extent (ρ = -0.37, = 0.011), and static VA (ρ = 0.26, = 0.066) demonstrated the strongest correlations with Para nordic skiing performance; in Para alpine skiing, static VA and CS demonstrated the strongest correlations with downhill (static VA: ρ = 0.54, = 0.046, CS: ρ = -0.50, = 0.06), super G (static VA: ρ = 0.50, = 0.007, CS: ρ = -0.51, = 0.017), and giant slalom (static VA: ρ = 0.57, = 0.01, CS: ρ = -0.46, = 0.017) performance. Dynamic VA and VF were significantly associated with downhill (ρ = 0.593, = 0.04) and slalom (ρ = -0.49, = 0.013) performances, respectively. Static VA was a significant predictor of giant slalom [((3,11) = 24.71, < 0.001), and of 0.87], super G [((3,9) = 17.34, = 0.002), and of 0.85], and slalom [((3,11) = 11.8, = 0.002), and of 0.80] performance, but CS and VF were not. Interestingly, static VA and CS were highly correlated in both Para nordic (ρ = -0.60, < 0.001) and Para alpine (ρ = -0.80, < 0.001) skiers. Of the vision variables, only static VA and VF were associated with skiing performance and should be included as the in Para nordic and Para alpine classifications. The strong correlations between static VA and CS in these skiers with vision impairment may have masked relationships between CS and skiing performance.
北欧滑雪和高山滑雪相关的视觉任务，如识别山丘轮廓、坡度特征和雪况，会增加对对比度处理和其他视觉功能的要求。开展前瞻性观察性研究，以评估视力受损的北欧滑雪者和高山滑雪者的滑雪表现与广泛视觉功能之间的关系。该研究假设对比敏感度（CS）、视力（VA）和视野（VF）可预测滑雪表现。对26名精英北欧残奥滑雪者和15名精英高山残奥滑雪者的双眼静态视力、对比敏感度、光敏感度、眩光敏感度、眩光恢复、动态视力、平移和径向运动感知以及视野进行了评估。根据滑雪者的原始比赛时间评估滑雪表现。使用肯德尔相关性（有和没有邦费罗尼 - 霍尔姆校正）和线性多变量回归（P < 0.05认为具有显著性）将视觉功能测试的表现与滑雪表现进行比较。应用邦费罗尼 - 霍尔姆校正后，在北欧残奥滑雪或高山残奥滑雪中，没有一个视力变量与表现显著相关。在校正之前，视野范围（ρ = -0.37，P = 0.011）和静态视力（ρ = 0.26，P = 0.066）与北欧残奥滑雪表现的相关性最强；在高山残奥滑雪中，静态视力和对比敏感度与速降（静态视力：ρ = 0.54，P = 0.046，对比敏感度：ρ = -0.50，P = 0.06）、超级大回转（静态视力：ρ = 0.50，P = 0.007，对比敏感度：ρ = -0.51，P = 0.017）和大回转（静态视力：ρ = 0.57，P = 0.01，对比敏感度：ρ = -0.46，P = 0.017）表现的相关性最强。动态视力和视野分别与速降（ρ = 0.593，P = 0.04）和回转（ρ = -0.49，P = 0.013）表现显著相关。静态视力是大回转（F(3,11) = 24.71，P < 0.001，R²为0.87）、超级大回转（F(3,9) = 17.34，P = 0.002，R²为0.85）和回转（F(3,11) = 11.8，P = 0.002，R²为0.80）表现的显著预测指标，但对比敏感度和视野不是。有趣的是，在北欧残奥滑雪者和高山残奥滑雪者中，静态视力和对比敏感度都高度相关（北欧残奥滑雪者中ρ = -0.60，P < 0.001；高山残奥滑雪者中ρ = -0.80，P < 0.001）。在这些视力变量中，只有静态视力和视野与滑雪表现相关，应纳入北欧残奥滑雪和高山残奥滑雪的分级中。在这些视力受损的滑雪者中，静态视力和对比敏感度之间的强相关性可能掩盖了对比敏感度与滑雪表现之间的关系。
