Colorado Springs eye doctor Jeanne Derber is a big part of the success behind many Team USA athletes and has been looking at their eyes for decades.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Olympic athletes like the shooting team need sharp eyesight, and since 1988, a Colorado Springs optometrist has taken care of Team USA’s eyes.
With a crucial role, Dr. Jeanne Derber is the go-to person for Olympians to make sure their sight is as clear as can be.
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“They really want to have the best possible vision,” said Dr. Derber.
Sharpshooting athletes make up most of her visitors, given their need to hit tiny targets from various ranges. They are given special glasses that help their eyes focus on gun sights while blurring out the target.
“We blur the target for them, so they can line up the sights more accurately,” said Dr. Derber. “It’s more of an issue to keep the sights lined up as opposed to having a clear target.”
At shooting events, they have to hit fast-moving targets the size of small plates while their heads are tilted at an angle, so corrective vision helps them aim better.
“We might need to move the optical zone so they are looking straight through the center of the lens even though they are looking up,” said Dr. Derber. “Lots of times because they are going across, they might have issues with one eye taking over the other eye.”
With this assistance and a little help from their local optometrist, USA Shooting athletes can see their Olympic dreams even more clearly.
Colorado eye doctor helping Team USA Olympians go for the gold
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