NBA Star Tyreke Evans Highlights Vision Health and Sports Success in Online Video

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NBA star and Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans knows that success in basketball doesn't rest solely on athletic ability.  To put a 9.39-inch diameter ball into a hoop with an 18-inch diameter, you need healthy vision. Evans recognizes that in order to play your best, you need to see your best, and that means getting a comprehensive eye exam every year.  

To help get this message out, Evans has partnered with VSP® Vision Care to appear in the second season of the VSP EyeFiles(TM) web series which can be viewed on the EyeFiles tab on the VSP Facebook page: www.facebook.com/VSPVisionCare. The series offers parents fun and entertaining reminders to keep their children's vision healthy and top of mind, while providing answers to a variety of eye health questions, including:

• At what age should a child first receive an eye exam?
• Does my child need sports eyewear?
• When should kids start wearing sunglasses?
• Should you limit the amount of time children spend playing with digital devices?
• Will watching a 3D movie harm my child's visual development?  

The four-part webisode series takes a peek inside the life of a mom as she wrestles with the concerns she has over her children's eye health. The first webisode focuses on sports vision and the impact your eyes have on athletic performance. Dr. Leanne Liddicoat, a VSP optometrist,  joins Evans in the videos, offering practical tips to help keep children's vision healthy whether they are playing sports, playing outside in the sun, using digital devices or watching 3D movies.

"Proper vision care is one of the most important things a parent can provide for their children to help them reach their full potential in school and on the playing field," said Dr. Liddicoat. "Parents should take their children to the eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam starting as young as six months old, then again at three years old, before kindergarten and every subsequent year to help detect signs of common vision problems, such as poor eye coordination and far- or nearsightedness. Your eye doctor can even detect early signs of chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension, from the exam."

If a child is struggling with sports that demand high visual acuity such as basketball, there may an underlying vision problem.

"Without good vision, I wouldn't be able to make a pass, sink a jumper or have done well in school," said Evans. "Healthy eyesight is a huge factor for kids developing skills on the court and in the classroom and that's why it is so important for them to get an annual eye exam."

The National Eye Institute reports that every 13 minutes, someone in the United States goes to the hospital for a sports-related eye injury, many of which happen to children.

"If your child plays contact sports, you may want to consider using sports eyewear to protect their eyes from impact, as well as UVA and UVB rays when playing outside," added Dr. Liddicoat. "No matter what sport your child plays, your eye doctor can help you find the right type of sports eyewear to defend their eyes from injury."

About VSP Global

VSP Global(SM) includes VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 56 million members; Marchon® Eyewear Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers, designers and distributors of quality fashion and technologically-advanced eyewear and sunwear; Eyefinity®, the eyecare industry's premier provider of innovative business solutions that improve practice management and the patient experience; VSP Optics Group, industry leaders in new technologies, production processes, service and logistics.  

Since 1997, VSP has provided more than 622,000 low-income, uninsured children with free eyecare. VSP promotes the importance of annual eye exams for maintaining eye health and overall wellness.

SOURCE VSP Global