ST. LOUIS – After a breakout season in 2017, Cardinals centerfielder Tommy Pham is off to a strong start this season, hitting .333. It’s a long way from the minor league season when Pham said he struck out more than 150 times because he couldn’t see the ball.
“I would hear teammates come back to the dugout and they’ll talk about seeing the spin on the slider,” said Pham, in a video produced for the National Keratoconus Foundation. “I don’t see no spin.”
Pham has become a spokesperson for the National Keratoconus Foundation because that eye illness almost derailed his career. Dr. Ed Bennett, an UMSL Professor and optometrist, is one of a team of eye doctors who helped Pham overcome keratoconus.
“The cornea, the front surface of the eye, becomes thinner, it becomes distorted,” said Dr. Bennett. “Up until recently about one in 7 people who had keratoconus ended up having a transplant.”
Bennett said Pham didn’t have a transplant. Instead a few years ago while he was a minor leaguer, Pham had a procedure called corneal cross-linking, at the time a radical procedure that has since become more common. Corneal cross-linking uses riboflavin drops combined with UVA light to strengthen the cornea. Bennett said that procedure has stabilized Pham’s eyesight.
“In his case contact lenses are a part of that equation and there are times when he needs changes,” said Bennett.
In the National Keratoconus Foundation video Pham said while his eyesight remains a work in progress, it hasn’t stopped him from reaching the major leagues and thriving.
“I’m able to see the spin better on the ball when I’m hitting and I’m able to have more depth perception,” said Pham, who meets with other keratoconus patients and shares his story during public speaking appearances on behalf of the foundation.
“It’s very inspirational,” said Dr. Bennett. “Anybody who’s been told they have a handicap and you’re not going to able to achieve your goals, well look at Tommy Pham. I’m sure he’s just sitting there going, just watch me.”
