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Stephen Nedoroscik<\/strong><\/a> helped the U.S. men\u2019s gymnastics team win their first Olympic<\/a> medal in 16 years when he nailed his pommel horse routine<\/a> at the Paris Olympics. Since then, Stephen\u2019s gone viral for his adorable mannerisms, but it\u2019s led fans to wonder about the eye condition that requires him to wear glasses.<\/p>\n Stephen has an eye condition called strabismus, the medical term for being cross-eyed. However, it doesn\u2019t always affect both eyes and can sometimes only cause one eye to be misaligned. The condition can be treated with \u201cglasses, patching, eye exercises, medication or surgery,\u201d according to The Cleveland Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stephen also has a condition called coloboma, which he\u2019s talked about in previous TikTok videos. Coloboma is a genetic condition that occurs when some of the tissue that makes up the eye is missing at birth. However, there are different types of coloboma and it depends on which part of the eye is missing tissue.<\/p>\n In August 2022, Stephen posted a TikTok<\/a> video asking for help finding more information about his eye condition. In the clip, he explained that he\u2019s \u201ccross-eyed\u201d and can \u201cswitch [his] dominant eye on command with both eyes open.\u201d Stephen then went on to show viewers how he could switch back and forth with his eyes open.<\/p>\n A popular doctor on the social media app had the answers to the pommel horse hero\u2019s questions. William E. Flanary<\/strong>, who goes by Dr. Glaucomflecken on social media, is an ophthalmologist and said that Stephen is \u201cfarsighted\u201d and has a condition called \u201cstrabismus, specifically esotropia.\u201d This causes one eye or both eyes to turn inward.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a common form of strabismus we see in young kids, sometimes as early as 6 months of age,\u201d Dr. Glaucomflecken said in a TikTok<\/a> video posted on July 30, 2024. \u201cBasically, because of the farsightedness, his eyes are working so hard to focus that they end up turning in. Fortunately, glasses can do a great job of making the eyes straight.\u201d<\/p>\n The eye doc added that he would guess that Stephen was \u201cin a pair of glasses from a very early age.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe also has alternating fixation,\u201d Dr. Glaucomflecken continued. \u201cHe can fixate with either eye as he demonstrated in the video, and this is actually pretty fortunate. Some kids with esotropia have one eye that they just forget about. They just focus with maybe their left eye or their right eye and they just ignore the other eye and then that eye doesn\u2019t develop normal vision. But, he spent his childhood years alternating his fixation, which some kids do. So, he\u2019ll fixate with his right eye and then fixate with the left eye and just go back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Glaucomflecken said that Stephen alternating between eyes allowed him to \u201cdevelop normal vision in each eye separately.\u201d He also guessed that Stephen didn\u2019t have great \u201cstereo vision,\u201d which means that his eyes likely don\u2019t work together simultaneously.<\/p>\n After the photo of Stephen resting calmly on the sidelines while wearing his glasses went viral, viewers who suffer from the condition as well were inspired. On July 30, 2024, GymUSA posted a photo<\/a> of the gymnast with a boy who had been diagnosed with the same condition.<\/p>\n Dr. Glaucomflecken also praised Stephen for raising awareness for glasses-wearers around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cJust seeing someone like him on such a huge stage, winning an Olympic medal and unabashedly wearing his glasses\u2026does a lot for making it normal,\u201d the ophthalmologist told Time<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat Eye Condition Does Stephen Nedoroscik Have?<\/h2>\n
What Has Stephen Nedoroscik Said About Having Strabismus?<\/h2>\n
Stephen Nedoroscik Inspires Young Fans With His Eye Condition<\/h2>\n