Tyreke Evans drives to the hoop - Photo Credit: Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images

NBA star Tyreke Evans recently spoke about his return to the court following the NBA lockout, the current state of his Sacramento Kings and vision drills that help his game during his interview with Yahoo! Sports Radio on Sunday. Want to know what he thinks of his new teammate, former BYU phenom Jimmer Fredette, or his new head coach, Keith Smart? Curious about what his favorite sports vision drill is? Learn more by listening to Tyreke’s interview below.

If you catch the sports vision drill Tyreke used to do with his brother, email it to prteam@vsp.com and you’ll be entered to win an item autographed by Tyreke!

Click the gray arrow to play the interview:

About Tyreke Evans and VSP Vision Care:
VSP Vision Care is proud to be the exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider for Tyreke Evans. Tyreke plays professional basketball for the Sacramento Kings and was named 2010 Rookie of the Year. He’s the fourth rookie ever to average 20 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. The only other players to accomplish this were Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Not only is good vision a critical component for being successful in sports, it’s also an important part of every day life. Be sure to follow VSP Vision Care on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with Tyreke’s Activities.

Dr. Phelps

Today’s post is written by guest blogger Dr. Roger Phelps, a VSP provider in Ojai, California. Dr. Phelps is also a certified diabetes educator.

Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent, but still many patients either don’t know they have the disease or don’t take the proper preventative steps. Those preventative steps include not only keeping A1C levels as low as possible, but also getting an annual eye exam to check for any signs of trouble with the blood vessels.

As an optometrist and a type 1 diabetic, I am very passionate about controlling diabetes because of the damage it can do to the eyes without proper care. I sat down with Phil Southerland of Team Type 1, who is equally passionate about diabetes, and he shared with me why he takes going to the eye doctor so seriously.

For more information about diabetes and the eyes, visit the Diabetes Discovery Center.

However, as we take to the slopes with childlike abandon, the cold snap brings its own challenges for the outdoorsman (and woman) and one hazard that’s easy to forget—protecting our eyes. That’s surprising, considering eye injuries are a common injury suffered during ski and snowboarding activities, and the glare from the snow can make it very difficult to see where you’re headed.

The surface of our eyes often become irritated by harsh winds, and snow sport enthusiasts should protect their eyes using properly fitted, sports-rated eyewear that filters out 100% of UV light. Those with less than perfect vision benefit from the availability of prescription goggles. In either case, the risks of not protecting your eyes include keratitis (inflammation of the cornea), conjunctivitis, and retina damage, not to mention direct injury to the eye.

While our body is able to repair much of the damage we do it, the lens of the eye can’t repair itself. The risk of irreversible damage is too high to risk. We also have a tendency to think the sun is less intense during the dark winter months, but the winter sun sits lower in the sky and exposure can actually increase.

So, while you raise your glass to toast the winter events, remember it’s a lot more fun when you can clearly see the smiling faces around you celebrating a day on the slopes together.

Visit The Center to learn more about keeping your sight safe this winter.

Learn more about sports eyewear.

Read about St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jason Motte‘s eye troubles.

The World Series will be played between the Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, with Game 1 tonight in St. Louis at 8:05 p.m. (ET).

The sun is out, the days are long—perfect time to grab your clubs and hit the links. But is your eyewear helping make every swing your best?

Golf is a game of precision. That’s why Nike Vision sunwear, in prescription and non-prescription, offers the patented Nike MAX Golf Tint™ to help make the ball “pop” and highlight the contours of the green.

Specially tuned to the game of golf, this tint is ideal for any course, in the sun or under the clouds.

It enhances critical details of the fairway and green and helps you navigate the unique visual challenges of the golf course.

Exclusive to VSP Members
As a VSP member, you can use your benefit towards prescription Nike sunwear. Interested in adding the Nike MAX Golf Tint? Just talk to your VSP doctor.

About Nike Eyewear
Nike eyewear is superior and trusted by the best athletes in the world. Why? Because Nike has developed proprietary technology that allows athletes to see their sport better, such as:

• Nike Max Optics: virtually distortion-free optics
• Nike lens tints: specially tuned for specific sports to provide maximum performance
• Nike eyewear’s fit and function: based on work with elite athletes to gauge their sport needs.

Find out more about Nike Eyewear
Visit The Center at vsp.com for more information and to view the different styles for both men and women.

Whether you’re watching a game on ESPN 3D or watching Avatar, be sure to make an appointment with your eye doctor if you or your children have difficulty watching 3D content. Your eye doctor can often treat and correct these eye conditions, but the earlier they are addressed, the better. Learn more by watching the video clip, and enter to win a 3D prize pack for four!

Click here to view the embedded video.

About Tyreke Evans and VSP Vision Care
VSP Vision Care is proud to be the exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider for Tyreke Evans. Tyreke plays professional basketball for the Sacramento Kings and was named 2010 Rookie of the Year. He’s the fourth rookie ever to average 20 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. The only other players to accomplish this were Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Not only is good vision a critical component for being successful in sports, it’s also an important part of every day life. Be sure to follow VSP Vision Care on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with Tyreke’s Activities.

MaryBeth R. is a member of VSP's Marketing Team and avid sports fan

It’s a question getting a lot of consideration these days. The New York Times recently ran an article exploring the notion that light-eyed players have more trouble competing in outdoor, daytime sports than their darker-eyed counterparts. Really?

The issue arose when Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who has struggled to hit as effectively during the day as he does at night, revealed that team doctors told him his eye color could be a contributing factor. With a reduced sensitivity to contrast, he has a harder time picking up the seams of the baseball — the part of the ball hitters use, in a fraction of second, to identify what pitch is coming.

Under the sun this season, Hamilton’s numbers are dim. He is batting .122 (6-for-49) with no home runs, four RBIs and eight walks. He also has 17 strikeouts and a .429 OPS.

At night, it’s a different story. Hamilton is hitting .374 (41-for-109) with six home runs, 28 RBIs, seven walks and a 1.076 OPS. And he only has 14 strikeouts while playing under the lights.

During his 2010 MVP season, the blue-eyed Hamilton hit a respectable .286 during the day and .384 at night.

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

Now, before you start saying to yourself that Hamilton is really reaching to explain away his performance drop-off, consider this: research by the Elias Sports Bureau and The New York Times found that, among players who began their careers since 1970 and had at least 500 day-game plate appearances, 12 of the 19 largest career drops between night- and day-game batting averages belong to light-eyed players.

Among active players, five of the 13 largest gaps are light-eyed players, including Hamilton (a 94-point drop) and San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley, who has greenish-blue eyes and a 53-point disparity (.286 to .233) through mid-July.

Could light eyes really be to blame? It’s a strong possibility.

Because lighter eyes have less pigment and larger pupils than darker eyes, more unwanted light enters the eye and creates glare problems. Sunglasses or colored contact lenses are a typical way to solve the problem.

Want to learn more about protecting your eyes during sports, whether they’re blue or brown? Check out The Center at vsp.com.

Don’t miss episode one, which focuses on sports vision. Share it with friends and family and enter our EyeFiles contest for your chance to win an Xbox 360 with KINECT and an autographed shoe worn by Tyreke during the filming of the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stay tuned! New webisodes willl roll out every few weeks until the end of July.

Doc Evans, Tyreke Evans’ brother, just had his annual eye exam by Dr. Ryan Nakamura at Natomas Optometry. Doc is a musician, and good vision is important to him. During his eye exam, he discovered he needed glasses for the first time ever and shared that experience with me after his exam.

Doc Evans ready for his eye exam

Doc, some people aren’t happy when they find out they need glasses for the first time. How did you feel and what advice would you offer someone in this position?
I think it’s natural for a person who has always had “perfect vision” to succumb to the fact their vision is getting worse. At least it was for me! Most of the time, as you age, your vision worsens. It’s just part of life. My advice would be to get an eye exam every year to be aware of your vision and eye health. If you do need glasses, you should definitely get them. If you avoid it, you’re limiting what you can see in life. There’s such a great variety of styles available now, that I was actually excited to hear I’d be able to pick out a really cool pair that fits my personality.

How will having glasses impact your work as a musician?
As an artist and producer, I need to be able to see the music from a digital standpoint, which includes placing each bar or verse within the song. Clear vision is important for me to be accurate in what I do.

How did the exam itself go?
My eye exam was fun! Dr. Nakamura was very knowledgeable and told me he was looking for signs of diabetes and high blood pressure — just by looking in my eye! I think that is amazing. It was fast and painless, and now I know my eyes are healthy. I love my new glasses and see so much better!

Doc Evans picking out glasses at Natomas Optometry