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Evaluation of Visual Skills in Soccer Referees and Assistant Referees Publisher



Nejad AHB1 ; Barghi TS2 ; Hassanmirzaei B2, 3 ; Ghanbari L4 ; Naderifar H5
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Eye Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Sports Medicine Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Iran Football Medical Assessment and Rehabilitation Center (IFMARC), Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Sport Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Islamic Azad University Astara Branch, Astara, Iran
  5. 5. Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Occupational Health and Safety Research Center, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

Source: Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Published:2021


Abstract

Background: As a soccer referee or an assistant referee, having perfect visual skills is mandatory, which will help make quick and accurate decisions in the field of the play and during matches; however, this skill is not well studied among referrers. This study aimed to assess the visual skills of referees and assistant referees. Methods: Men's professional referees and assistant referees working for the Iran football federation were investigated in 2019. The visual skill investigation consists of the evaluation of static visual acuity, color vision, stereoacuity, intraocular pressure, confrontation test, and eye anatomical assessment with slit lamp. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software Version 18. Results: In this study, 159 men's professional referees and assistant referees with a mean age of 35.52±5.39 were selected. The results of this study showed that 1.88% of the referees and assistant referees had color blindness dyschromatopsia) and 3.14% of them needed more follow-up examinations. The mean spherical equivalent of examined eyes was -0.42D in the right eye and -0.16 D in the left eye. Conclusion: Our results showed that referees and assistant referees both had some kind of visual skill deficiencies. As visual skills are among the fundamental skills for success in referees in dynamic sports such as soccer, all of them must undergo visual skill assessments during the precompetition period to avoid any errors in judgment due to visual disturbances. © 2021. Iran University of Medical Sciences. All Rights Reserved.