Find out the reason behind why the American Olympian, Stephen Nedoroscik wears glasses for his eyesight as a video of him addressing the matter went viral across social media platforms following his stellar performance at the Paris Olympics 2024
For the unfamiliar, the 25-year-old U.S. gymnast, a rarity among Olympic athletes, wears glasses. Competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he removes them for his sole event, the pommel horse, a dazzling routine that helped Team USA’s men’s gymnastics team win bronze on Monday, July 29.
Nedoroscik’s transformation from a mild-mannered, bespectacled mechanical engineer to a powerful athlete defying gravity on the pommel horse draws comparisons to Clark Kent turning into Superman.
Why does pummel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik wear glasses for his eyesight and what happened to his eyes explained
What Did Stephen Nedoroscik Say?
In an interview earlier today on July 30, Nedoroscik could be heard saying, “I think they’re awesome,” adding “I’m representing people that wear glasses well.”
During the interview with co-anchor Hoda Kotb, he revealed that he wore his sunglasses due to his eye sensitivity, a condition that he previously discussed on social media.
just two icons swapping glasses 😎😎 #paris2024
📸: @usagym pic.twitter.com/I7M1YCIgC9
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 30, 2024
Reason behind Nedoroscik’s Glasses
“It’s not necessarily clear, but the thing about pommel horse is if I keep them on, they’re gonna fly somewhere,” Nedoroscik explained.
He further added, “When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment. I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands—I can feel everything.”
Nedoroscik has strabismus, or crossed eyes, a condition he revealed on TikTok. Strabismus, caused by issues with eye muscles, leads to misaligned eyes, resulting in depth perception loss, blurry, or double vision.
Glasses or contacts can help, and other treatments include surgery, eye muscle exercises, and prism lenses. Additionally, Nedoroscik has coloboma, a genetic condition where part of the eye tissue is missing at birth, making him photophobic, or light-sensitive.
This explains why he borrowed Hoda’s sunglasses. Symptoms include vision loss and blindness in specific areas. There’s no cure, but glasses, contact lenses, low vision aids, or surgery can help.
He has also revealed that sometimes he just wears glasses for good luck as a superstition.
About Stephen Nedoroscik
For the unfamiliar, Born on October 28, 1998, Stephen John Nedoroscik is an American artistic gymnast specializing in the pommel horse. A member of the U.S. men’s national gymnastics team, he represented the U.S. at the Paris Olympics 2024 winning a bronze medal in the team event.