Failed Surgery at 8, Stephen Nedoroscik Reveals Struggle With 2 Eye Diseases

Stephen Nedoroscik—whether he’s nailing a pommel horse routine at the Olympics or hypothetically tearing up the tango floor—knows how to steal the spotlight. But here’s a twist: this gymnastics legend, famously dubbed the ‘Clark Kent’ of Gymnastics, didn’t exactly see that nickname coming—literally. Yep, his signature specs and those Superman vibes turned him into a breakout star at the Games. Behind those iconic glasses? Two challenging eye conditions. First, there’s coloboma, which affects the development of his eyes, and then strabismus, aka “lazy eye,” causing his eyes to cross inward.

On the Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis, Stephen opened up about the uphill battle of chasing gymnastics glory with blurry vision. He shared how tough it was growing up barely able to see without his specs and how it took a hit on his confidence. “I think it affects me in a ‘confidence’ way,” he admitted. And those bright lights?

A total nightmare. Oh, and add astigmatism to the mix, courtesy of coloboma, which distorts his vision even more. His glasses are not just a geek-chic accessory; they help him navigate a world that’s often a blurry mess. Fun fact: he competes without them on the pommel horse, his only event, and still dominates like a boss. But true to his Superman name, Stephen has smashed records and made history, proving that even with these challenges, he’s got the moves—and the smarts—to keep conquering.

According to a recent People report, Stephen Nedoroscik has mastered the art of navigating life with cross-vision, despite enduring eye surgery at just eight years old—a surgery that, unfortunately, didn’t fix the problem and failed. Growing up, he sported those cool glasses that darken in the sunlight, but even they couldn’t shield him completely. Thanks to his “huge pupils” caused by coloboma, Stephen is still super sensitive to light, so much so that he doesn’t drive.

Living in sunny Sarasota, Florida, with his girlfriend of eight years, Tess McCracken, Stephen Nedoroscik has found a unique way to adapt. When he’s out and about, he barely opens his eyes, explaining, “That’s how I navigate.” For him, it’s all about quick, millisecond glimpses before closing his eyes again—an everyday battle he faces with resilience and a touch of superhero finesse.

Stephen previously also shared his struggles, saying, “ “I have a few things wrong with my eyes. Generally, l have bad vision, just like normal bad vision—not too bad. Then I have strabismus, which is the typical “cross-eyed” condition where one of your eyes goes a little inward.” He then went on to highlight a major challenge: “some things that go along with those conditions-well, with strabismus, I have no depth perception.” To a certain extent, Nedoroscik considers himself lucky as he mentioned that in gymnastics, depth perception is irrelevant most of the time. However, there is much more in his story apart from eye conditions!

Stephen Nedoroscik has other health struggles that make everyday challenging

Well, it isn’t just those eye diseases that Stephen Nedoroscik has to fight for! The champ also has ADHD and as if that is not enough, he also has asthma. During his appearance on the Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis, Stephen shared his experience of living with ‘Asthma’ while being a gymnast. “It’s one of those diseases that you can sort of exercise but it will always be present,” he explained. “With gymnastics and the endurance I’ve worked, my asthma symptoms are much lesser than they could be.” Although he cannot fully turn it around, Nedoroscik has learned how best to control it if at all it reoccurs.

However, managing asthma hasn’t been without its hurdles. Stephen previously brought home a new housemate—a cat he’s allergic to—which has worsened his symptoms. “But now I own a cat that I’m allergic to. And that does affect my asthma,” he admitted, revealing that he relies on his inhaler daily. “I try not to, but that is a problem I deal with day-to-day.”

Even with gymnastics and dancing demanding a lot from his endurance, Nedoroscik pushes through. “One thing I noticed with dance after taking a month off of the endurance training of gymnastics is that you know, dance is something that it, it takes, you know, it does affect my asthma,” he shared. Despite the struggles, Stephen emphasizes, “Like obviously, if you’re wheezing, don’t push yourself too hard, but like exercise and try to push your barriers. Try to sort of expand your horizons with the disease.”