Olympians who have benefited from Laser Eye Surgery

This year’s Rio Olympics will feature plenty of athletes who have corrected their vision using laser surgery. In fact, many of these individuals opted for this procedure as a way to improve the likelihood they will achieve a medal and return home with the glory for their country. Contact lenses and eyeglasses are cumbersome and can hinder a person’s ability to play their sport – especially in golf, basketball, swimming, diving, gymnastics, and even sports like pole vault and javelin throw.

Which Olympians have had Laser Eye Surgery?

Some of these Olympians will be competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics, while others are past participants. Those that have had laser eye surgery include:

1. Amy Van Dyken – A six gold medal winning swimmer and one of the most decorated female U.S. Swimmers. She had her procedure back in 2011.

2. Jill Kintner – This 2008 BMX winner competed the same year she had laser eye surgery and since her surgery has now switched to mountain bike racing.

3. Brendan Hansen – He has accumulated three gold medals, one silver and two bronze in swimming. Three years after his surgery in 2009, he led the United States swim team to gold and even beat one of Michael Phelps’ records.

4. Timothy Hutten – This men’s water polo team member received one silver medal and had his procedure performed in 2011.

What about recovery times?

Laser eye surgery, such as LASIK®, allows Olympic athletes and even Olympic hopefuls to push to their peak level and reach new highs. Foggy, diminished vision capacity is no longer an issue and players do not have to worry about eyeglasses or contact lenses hindering their performance. Most athletes can resume their Olympic training within a day or two post-surgery, but there are some that may need a little longer; such as swimmers who need to stay out of the chlorine and water for up to two weeks’ post-surgery.

Improve your sports skills and accuracy – schedule Laser Eye Surgery today

If you are a professional athlete competing internationally, there are laser eye corrective procedures available to enhance performance and take your chances of Olympic gold to the next level. Even if you are a weekend athlete enjoying sports as a hobby, you could benefit from improving your vision. Meeting with an experienced laser eye surgeon is the best way to assess your vision possibilities and see which corrective procedure is right for you.

Meet with a vision correction professional at Optilase today to see if you are a candidate for laser eye surgery.