As the sun sets, and darkness falls upon baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, and other athletic playing fields, light switches get flipped into the on position. However, no matter how hard mankind tries, nothing will ever replace the full illuminating effect of the sun.
The ability to see clearly is obviously critical for success in sporting events, and artificial light can have a negative effect on performance. The problem gets worse the farther down you go on the competition level, as lights are not as strong during amateur events as they are for professional venues. For example, the following recommendations from Major League Baseball are for infield lighting for different levels of play. (Light is measured in the amount of Foot Candles or FC)
International/
Minor Leagues – AAA and AA - 100 FC
Minor Leagues – A and Rookie – 70 FC
College (non-televised)
College (televised) - 100 FC
High School, Youth (competitive)
Recreational – 30 FC
We can see from the above chart that there is a drastic difference in lighting power for upper level play and the lower levels. However, most athletes are not playing in MLB stadiums, they are playing on the thousands of ball fields scattered all across America. What can they do to help them see better in possibly inferior lighting conditions?
Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is a low growing shrub that bears fruits and is closely related to blueberries. Bilberry contains anthocyanosides, a flavonoid complex that can replenish rhodopsin in the eye. Rhodopsin is the purple pigment in the retina that is responsible for night vision. It has been said that during World War II, British Royal Air Force pilots would eat bilberry jam before going out on nighttime bombing raids because they felt that it aided their vision in the dark.
Vizuo XL Sports Vision Enhancement is a dietary supplement that is formulated with a high-potency bilberry extract. It also contains many other eye and brain nutrients that will help athletes with reaction speed, agility, coordination, and the learning and development of sport-specific motor skills.
More information can be found on their website, which also provides comprehensive information about sports vision http://www.vizuoxl.com/
