TeamNL top player visiting
There were only 70 seconds left to play and the dream of an Olympic medal seemed to have disappeared from sight for the Dutch women’s water polo team. The score was 10-9 in favor of the Americans. But giving up is not an option, it is all or nothing and the Netherlands quickly scores 10-10. Is it still possible? With only a few seconds left on the clock, the Americans call for a time-out but as soon as play resumes, the Netherlands immediately goes on the attack and with only one second left on the clock, it finally happens! 10-11. Unbelievable! The Dutch women’s water polo team win Olympic bronze in Paris.
What an unforgettable match!
Meet…
One of the TeamNL top players who is part of this great team is Simone van de Kraats. At only 23 years old, she is one of the experienced girls in the team, because she made her debut in the Dutch team at the age of 17 (!). High time to zoom in on her exciting life.
The left-handed Simone grew up in Barneveld where she was introduced to water polo at a young age at the local club ‘De WaterKip’ (DWK). She started her professional career at Polar Bears from Ede. With this club she not only became national champion in the Eredivisie twice, but also won the top scorer title twice. Simone’s qualities did not go unnoticed and in 2021 she made the switch to the strong Spanish water polo competition. After a number of successful years at CN Mataro, Simone made the switch to the big rival CN Sabadell in 2024.
Her list of achievements with the Dutch water polo team is equally impressive (see image) and in 2023 she was named ‘best water polo player in the world’. But that’s not all, because Simone doesn’t like to sit still. In addition to water polo, she recently obtained her bachelor’s degree in Business Economics and is now working on a master’s degree in Management Sciences. She writes a column in the sports magazine HELDEN and subsequently works part-time at Deloitte.
Welcome to FYEO
What many people do not know about Simone is that she has a significant visual impairment and therefore wears contact lenses or glasses daily. Not ideal for someone who is active in the water for a large part of the day during her water polo training and matches. At those moments, wearing glasses is not an option. Contact lenses were the only alternative until now, but that also appears to be only a band-aid on the wound.
Simone first tried hard lenses, but this caused her to suffer a lot from dry eyes. Soft lenses turned out to be a good alternative, but she also suffered a lot from dry eyes, partly due to the chlorine in the water, and she lost one or two lenses every week during training. In the search for a better alternative, Simone brought this problem to the attention of TeamNL chief physician Maarten Moen. He advised Simone to talk to FYEO, Eye Care Supplier of TeamNL since February 2024. Glasses or contact lenses are of course an option, but a life without glasses is a solution.
Sports with glasses or lenses
As with many sports, good vision is extremely important. Water polo is no exception. Being able to see the goal, your teammates and the opponents clearly is obvious, but your hand-eye coordination also plays an important role. In water polo, it is also important that you can read the scoreboard well. Not only to see the time and the score, but also because of the shot clock where you only have 30 seconds to fire a shot.
Unlike other sports, wearing glasses is not an option in water polo. Simone used to wear lenses, but even then you have to pay close attention and you regularly lose a lens, says Simone. Additional problems are of course the chlorine in the water and the warm air. This causes your eyes to dry out more quickly and in combination with lenses this quickly turns into eye irritation.
Simone experiences discomfort from her contact lenses not only in but also next to the pool. For example, if she wants to rest between training sessions, her lenses dry out quickly. Taking the lenses out and putting them back in is annoying because of the dry eyes and sometimes even almost impossible. Time for a solution!
Personal advice and tailor-made treatment
After the advice of TeamNL chief physician Maarten Moen, Simone was initially still a bit hesitant, because after all, they are your eyes. Laser eye surgery or lens implantation all sounds very exciting. But after an eye examination and subsequent consultation with an ophthalmologist at FYEO, she was quickly reassured. The possibilities and techniques surrounding laser eye surgery and lens implantation have made enormous leaps in recent years, as have quality and safety.
After a personal consultation (each eye is unique), Simone discussed a customized treatment with the ophthalmologist and through laser eye treatment she will no longer be dependent on glasses or contact lenses. When we asked Simone what she was looking forward to most, her response was: “Getting out of bed in the morning without immediately reaching for glasses or contact lenses and getting into the shower and seeing everything clearly.” It is the little things that make a big difference. This treatment will give her a lot of comfort and peace. In daily life but certainly also during sports.
TeamNL and future plans
At 23, Simone can still compete at the top of women’s water polo for years to come. Despite all the successes achieved at both club level and with TeamNL, her ambition remains undiminished. The Dutch women’s water polo team is among the world’s best and winning Olympic gold is still the ultimate dream. Simone and her teammates will do everything they can to make this dream come true.
In her private life, Simone will successfully complete her Master’s degree in Management Sciences and will continue to investigate what she likes to do besides water polo. One thing is for sure; she will promote water polo and (top) sports in general wherever she goes by inspiring people with her successes.
To be continued…
Simone has an enormous drive for success and a real top sports mentality. But above all, she is a smart, friendly and fun woman who wants to inspire and motivate others. As FYEO, we are very proud of her achievements and the fact that we can help her towards a life without glasses.
In a few weeks we will contact Simone again to ask her how she is doing and her experiences after her treatment at FYEO.
As official Eye Care Supplier of TeamNL, FYEO has already treated dozens of top athletes. You can read more about it on our TeamNL page .