What Is Keratoconus? Stephen Curry Reveals His Vision-Threatening Eye Condition From Early Warriors Days

When basketball fans talk about the NBA's greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry is one of the top names. Throughout Steph's NBA career, which began in 2009, he's made himself famous for knocking down deep 3-point shots, helping shape the modern era of basketball. Curry's influence has been global, helping accelerate the shift toward a more perimeter-oriented style of play alongside advances in analytics, coaching strategies, and the contributions of other elite shooters.

Despite being the best shooter in the world, apparently, Curry has dealt with eyesight problems despite knocking down those jaw-dropping shots from long distance. In a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Steph revealed that he had keratoconus. The Golden State Warriors star explained the nature of his illness and how it impacted his vision.

"A little over eight years ago, I realized through a text from Bob Myers, he was watching a road game of ours as our GM, and he was like, 'Why are you squinting so much during the game? Can you see?'" Curry shared.

"It was the first time really anybody asked me that because that's just the way that I saw the world," Curry continued. "I knew that it didn't feel right, but I didn't know what that meant. So, I found out that I had a condition called keratoconus. That is a sight-threatening condition."

"I was trying to understand what that meant, what the possible treatments could be..." Curry described the condition as progressive and explained that he had been trying to understand how it might affect his eyesight over time. "The joke is the whole time I couldn't see. But thankfully, I got some treatment since 2018, when it first happened. I've been on a good path since."

Keratoconus is an eye condition in which the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, becomes thinner and develops an irregular, cone-like shape. This distorts how light enters the eye, potentially causing blurred vision, distorted images, astigmatism, and sensitivity to light or glare. Although the condition can worsen over time and significantly affect vision, it does not inevitably lead to blindness. Its severity and progression vary from person to person.

In Curry's case, the diagnosis came in 2018 after Myers noticed him squinting during a televised game and encouraged him to have his eyes checked. Curry has since described his case as mild and explained that corrective contact lenses, regular eye examinations, and an ongoing treatment plan have helped him manage the condition. He has said that he gets his eyes checked every six months.

What makes this story interesting is how Curry managed to claim two back-to-back MVP trophies in 2015 and 2016, a few years before receiving medical treatment for his eyesight condition. This just proves how amazing Steph truly was, battling through a vision-threatening condition that could have negatively impacted his career.

Now that Steph is 38 years old, it'll be interesting to see how sturdy his body will be in his 18th NBA season. With the Warriors missing key players like Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis, the team is likely to heavily rely on Curry again. Hopefully, that won't take a toll on his body as the season progresses.