Bespectacled Olympians inspiring local youth athletes

Vision issues are not standing in the way of success, UCI Health ophthalmologist says

IN THE NEWS: Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and other bespectacled athletes who competed in the recent Olympics are giving a lift to kids around the country who hope to participate in the games themselves someday.

UCI Health pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen B. Prepas spoke with NBC LA about how Nedoroscik’s vision problems have not held him back.

“Nedoroscik has two conditions that impact his vision, but clearly not his performance. He has strabismus, or crossed eyes. He also has another condition in which he is missing some of his iris, which is called coloboma. Despite the two problems, he seems to excel at his field.”

Prepas sees pediatric patients at the UCI Health Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. In practice for more than 40 years, he has extensive experience treating children for eye conditions such as myopia and amblyopia.

Watch the interview

Read more

• NBC LA: Olympians with glasses inspiring athletes with imperfect vision ›
• UCI Health Eye Mobile for Children preserves vision for kids in need ›
• His passion: helping kids see ›
• Eyes are a window into the brain ›
• Why eye exams are important for young children ›
• Oh, my aging eyes! What can I do to preserve sight? ›