*Many people don't know that Babe Ruth had severe amblyopia.*

You probably know that George Herman Ruth Jr., also known as Babe, The Great Bambino, and The Sultan of Swat, was indisputably one of the greatest baseball players of all time. You may know that he came up with the Boston Red Sox before joining the New York Yankees. You might even know that began his career as a pitcher.

But did you know he had 20/200 vision in his left eye? Shocking, isn't it?

After his playing days were over, Ruth was examined by Dr. Gerald Kara, who found that the prolific slugger had surprisingly poor vision in his left eye (and 20/15 vision in his right), which Dr. Kara attributed to amblyopia. Because Ruth said he had never had an eye exam before, it is theoretically possible that his poor vision developed after his career was over, but Dr. Kara found no evidence that this was the case.

Amblyopia is the most common cause of reversible vision loss in children, affecting between 3-5% of all kids. It is defined as decreased vision due to abnormal development of vision in childhood, typically in one eye, and most commonly occurs due to unrecognized need for glasses or due to eye misalignment (strabismus). It is treated sometimes with glasses wear, and most frequently by patching the child's better-seeing eye. This forced use of the amblyopic eye helps the neural connections between the eye and brain develop properly, allowing for better vision.

I love treating amblyopia. Seeing a child start with one eye that doesn't see well at all, and then, over a period of months, thanks to the diligent work of the patient and parents in helping him/her keep the patch on, watching the vision improve -- it's a very gratifying experience.

With regard to Ruth, he is just one of the countless examples of people with a vision problem overcoming their circumstances and excelling in life.