From Blurred Vision to Game-Day Clarity: Kike Hernández’s Story

For Kike Hernández, success at the plate depends on more than strength and ability — it begins with his eye health. Even before his swing starts, his visual system is hard at work, reading the pitcher’s arm motion and tracking the spin of the ball in a split second to decide whether to swing. But during the first half of the 2024 season, even after he passed all the team’s regular vision screenings, Kike noticed something was off. He was struggling to make contact at the plate, and no amount of extra training or mechanical adjustments seemed to help.

That’s when a teammate encouraged him to see an optometrist. The in-person comprehensive eye exam revealed what routine screenings had missed. Kike had astigmatism in his right eye, impairing his ability to see the ball clearly, and had also been living with pterygium (also known as surfer’s eye), which prevented him from wearing contacts. With a young family at home and the pressure to perform on the field, the diagnosis could not have come at a more critical time. Outfitted with his now-signature glasses, Kike finally saw the ball clearly again, and turned his 2024 season around.

“When you have uncorrected astigmatism, like Kike did, your brain perceives the ball with greater blur than a person without astigmatism, which can be easily corrected with glasses.” Dr. Emily Benson, an AOA member and practicing optometrist, explained. “It makes it difficult to assess the ball’s position and creates uncertainty for the batter.”

Now, eye health is a crucial part of Kike’s playbook — both as an athlete and as a husband and father. With his daughter at home and a new baby on the way, he knows just how much healthy vision matters in every part of life. He never misses his annual in-person comprehensive eye exam, and he encourages others to do the same.

“Getting my eyes checked was the best decision I made for my career and my family,” said Kike. “You don’t have to be a professional athlete to benefit. An in-person comprehensive eye exam can make all the difference in your life.”

By partnering with the American Optometric Association, Kike hopes his story motivates more people to prioritize their vision and receive annual eye exams with an AOA doctor of optometry.

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Emily Benson, O.D., MS

Emily Benson, O.D., MS, is a Clinical Optometrist and Senior Clinical Instructor at University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Ohio State University College of Optometry with both her Doctor of Optometry and Master of Science in Vision Science, then went on to complete a residency in ocular disease with an emphasis in cornea & contact lenses at the University of Virginia Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Benson is an active member of both the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the Ohio Optometric Association (OOA), where she contributes to the AOA Membership Development and Opportunities in Optometry Committees, plus the OOA Young OD committee. Dr. Benson also presents for the OOA’s Realeyes program, teaching children in schools across Ohio about their eyes. She enjoys swimming, hiking, and cheering on the Buckeyes and all Cleveland sports.

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