News
McCann has Lasik eye surgery again
Catcher will try to play without corrective lenses in 2010
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
10/16/09 5:28 PM EST
LOS ANGELES -- Brian McCann endured the discomforts provided by the prescription glasses that he was forced to wear while playing this year. When he returns for the 2010 season, the All-Star catcher will once again attempt to play without any corrective lenses.Feeling that there really wasn't any risk in undergoing the surgical procedure for the second time in a span of a little more than two calendar years, McCann visited Dr. Alan Kozarsky in Atlanta on Friday afternoon to have his vision once again repaired by Lasik surgery.
"Everything should be back to normal by tomorrow," McCann said just minutes before going in for the procedure. "This is just a minor thing and I wanted to get it done."
The Braves approved McCann's desire to have this surgery performed again.
"Brian and our eye doctor made the decision to go forward with an enhancement to the Lasik surgery he had two years ago after very careful consideration," Braves general manager Frank Wren said.
Kozarsky performed this same procedure on McCann at the conclusion of the 2007 season. While the surgery was successful, the 25-year-old catcher's vision changed and caused him to experience blurred vision in his left eye during the first five weeks of this past season.
After hitting .195 and totaling just 51 plate appearances in April, McCann returned on May 8 with prescription glasses. Although he managed to hit .289 with 19 homers over the final 125 games he played this year, he never gained a sense of comfort while at or behind the plate.
Often he found himself attempting to rid himself of the moisture that formed on the lenses.
"It's going to be like day and night for me," McCann said. "It's going to make a big difference for me."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
