Imagine stepping onto the basketball court with your vision blurred — yet refusing LASIK surgery. Explore why Bryce James, like some NBA legends, hasn’t gone under the laser, despite the clear advantages. One other thing that a good player needs is proper eyesight. This is the reason why you would seldom find a player donning a pair of glasses on the basketball court. Over the league’s history, some have even opted to undergo LASIK Surgery to correct their eyesight. However, Bryce James, the 16-year-old son of Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James, is not amongst them.

Despite still being in high school, Bryce James has already started following in his father’s footsteps. Recently, he has been representing Sierra Canyon in the ongoing ‘Nike Elite Youth Basketball League’ tournament. In each of those games, he has been seen donning a style of goggles that were made famous by former NBA player James Worthy. The glasses, necessary for his vision, have caused problems during games. Back in October 2023, while attempting to take the ball away, a rival player ended up smacking the glasses away from Bryce’s face. This momentarily pulled the game to a halt. Such instances raise the question: Why doesn’t Bryce just get LASIK surgery?

LeBron James himself had trouble with his eyesight. In fact, back in 2007, four years after he entered the NBA, the player underwent LASIK Surgery. As a result, his true shooting percentage reportedly saw a huge increase, and his overall performance also improved. However, it is important to note that LeBron was around 22-23 years old when he underwent the procedure. According to the US FDA, LASIK Surgery can only be reportedly approved for those who are above the age of 18 years. In some cases, it would even be recommended to wait a few years to ensure that the refraction is stable. Since Bryce does not turn 18 until June 2025, he cannot legally get the procedure done.

Neither the young player, nor LeBron James, nor anyone else from the basketball family has spoken out about this issue. Therefore, only time will be able to answer whether Bryce will opt to undergo LASIK Surgery, or join that small group of basketball players who have made a name for themselves whilst donning a pair of glasses.

Have there been any NBA superstars who never underwent Eye Surgery?

Just like the All-Time NBA scorer, several NBA star players like Dwyane Wade, Rudy Gay and Anthony Bennett made use of LASIK Surgery to give them the required edge. However, throughout the history of the league, there have been several players who have excelled in the sport without undergoing this procedure.

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is one of the most recognizable faces of the modern NBA. During the course of his 15 year career, he has led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championship wins, has been named the MVP twice and currently holds the All-Time record for the most three pointers made. However, it would come as a surprise to many that the 36-year-old suffers from ‘Keratoconus’.

‘Keratoconus’ is an eye condition in which the cornea reportedly thins and bulges outward to create a cone shape, much different from a regular eye. This can cause an individual to develop blurry, and even distorted vision. According to the official website of John Hopkins, this condition affects approximately 1 in 2000 individuals.

While he may have allegedly suffered from this for quite some time, Stephen Curry wasn’t diagnosed with this ailment until 2019. According to reports, LASIK Surgery is not a solution to correct ‘Keratoconus’, since it would only “further thin the already weak cornea, worsening the corneal distortion.” Therefore, ever since he was diagnosed, the Warriors star has been making use of , a special type of object that covers the entire corneal surface.

“I’m serious” said Stephen Curry during an interview after having received his treatment via contact lenses. “It’s as if a whole new world had been discovered.” During the same interview, the player also highlighted his trouble with ‘Keratoconus’, stating, “I had become accustomed to squinting for so long that it seemed normal.”

Donovan Mitchell

The current Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard has achieved significant success during his 7-year career with the NBA. The player has been quite open about having had troubles with his eyesight for quite some time now. Off the court, he is often seen donning a pair of glasses in public. However, the same do not make an appearance during games. In fact, Mitchell doesn’t even wear any contact lenses! And no, he hasn’t had any surgery done to fix his eyesight.

During interviews, Mitchell revealed that he tried to wear contact lenses during his time in college. However, he just couldn’t stand the feeling of touching his own eye. Plus, it took too much time just to get one of them in. When asked if he would consider prescription googles, Mitchell made it clear that he wouldn’t allow himself to go till that stage.

“For now, I’m just gonna keep guessing at which hoop I’m shooting at,” said Mitchell during an interview.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

When highlighting the players who dominated the basketball world from the early 70s to the late 80s, the name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is never left out. Along with securing six championship rings to his name, the now 77-year-old former player also held the NBA All-Time Scoring Record for 39 years, before the same was surpassed by LeBron James in 2023.

Abdul-Jabbar suffered from two separate eye injuries, one in 1968 and the other in 1974. After the second incident, that caused him to miss out on 16 games, the player returned wearing a pair of goggles. That eye gear became a prominent piece of his basketball attire after that, giving him a clear line of vision and protecting his eyes from any further injuries. As of now, there have been no stated reports that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ever underwent an eye surgery procedure.

Antonie Carr

Antonie Carr played for the NBA for over 16 seasons, from 1984 to 2000. During his tenure with the Utah Jaaz, the player developed a lacerated eyeball. This reportedly prevented his retina from adjusting to light in a normal manner, causing him severe headaches in the process. In order to fix the same, the player started wearing a pair of sunglasses that would later go on to become a signature style associated with him.

Jaylen Brown

Over the course of his ongoing 8-year NBA career, Jaylen Brown has suffered from a lot of ailments. Given his poor eyesight, the player has also often opted for contact lenses. Back in 2017, Brown developed a swollen eye. Not only did this impair his vision further, it also prevented him from using the lenses. Instead of getting the same treated surgically, however, the player opted to don a pair of prescriptions glasses.

“I told my mom and she got a kick out of it. She thought it was pretty funny,” said Brown during an interview. “I told her I might go with the ‘retrospects’, the ‘Kareem Abduls’. She’s a supporter of that.”

While the same may have worked as a temporary solution, it wasn’t what he chose to opt for in a permanent manner. During a later interview, he stated “I haven’t been able to find any comfort really with the glasses, so I was just like, ‘F**k it,’ and took them off. My eye’s still blurry. Everything’s still blurry. I don’t have very good vision, but at least it’s like, more consistent.”

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