Donald S. Teig, OD, FAAO.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—Donald S. Teig, OD, FAAO, has formed The “A” Team – High Performance Vision Associates to offer specialized services for athletes, law enforcement professionals, aviation personnel and people with hobbies and careers that require visual skills that go above and beyond the norm. The nationwide group of eyecare professionals is composed of over 30 practices that have completed Teig’s 16-hour consulting program in “High Performance Vision.” Teig, the organization’s executive director, told VMail that The “A” Team will hold its first official, in-person meeting and “brainstorming” session here on Saturday, May 31, 2014.

Among its many projects, The “A” Team has been chosen to evaluate the visual-motor skills of the women golfers on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour this summer as well as the National Hockey League Officials in September. The group has also been recruited by several technology companies to evaluate prototypes of new training equipment being developed in the field. These include SMI eye-tracking technology and the Ultimeyes technology for improving vision by optimizing visual processing through contrast sensitivity.

Teig founded Ridgefield Family Eye Care in Ridgefield, Conn., in 1973, a position from which he retired last year after 40 years in practice. As director of the Institute for Sports Vision and founder of the Sports Performance Centers of America, he pioneered work in sports vision and visual-motor performance training with Major League Baseball. He’s worked with 11 major league baseball teams, the men’s and women’s pro golf and tennis tours, several NBA teams, many Olympic teams, teams in professional football and hockey, as well as the Joffrey Ballet.

He is past chairman of the Sports Vision Section of the American Optometric Association and has been the author of numerous articles on the relationship of sports to vision. Teig has appeared on several network television and radio programs discussing sports performance, including featured segments of the Sunday Today Show, ESPN Sportscenter, Sportschannel, and HBO. He also hosted and contributed to sport segments on New York’s all-sports radio station, WFAN, which has earned him the nickname of “Doctor Jock.”

“The eyecare world has become so constricted by sources that are constantly eroding the opportunity for somebody to stay in practice that it’s almost critical to create some kind of specialty niche in your practice,” Teig told VMail. “For those who like sports or working with people in careers that require high performance vision, I’m creating a network of doctors who find that niche appealing.”

Founding members include Robert A. Davis, OD, Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Aaron Wilmes, OD, Lawrence, Kan.; Mark Schaeffer, OD, Birmingham, Ala.; Charlene Henderson, OD, and Tracy MacIntyre, OD, Charlotte, N.C.; Robert A. Buonfiglio, OD, and Gary G. Kalloch, RDO, Saugus, Mass.; Carl Spear, OD, and Katie Gilbert-Spear, OD, Pensacola, Fla.; Scott Krauchunas, OD, Belmont, N.H.; Jeremy Ciano, OD, Carmel, Ind.; Fred Edmunds, OD, Victor, N.Y.; and Raj Macha, OD, and Tony Wagler, OD, Anderson, IN.

“Dr. Teig is unquestionably the sports vision guru in our industry,” said Ciano. “His insights into real world practicing methods with professional, amateur and recreational athletes are second to none.” For further information, contact Teig at contact@ultimateeventsllc.com or (203) 312-3123.