Elton John Opens Up About Vision Loss at 77
- Elton John revealed that he has lost his eyesight.
- The singer offered fans a health update after contracting an eye infection in July.
- “It kind of floored me. I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything,” he said in September.
After attending the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada in London’s West End, Elton John took the stage to reveal he had lost his eyesight. The news comes after the “Rocket Man” singer was diagnosed with a severe eye infection in July.
“As some of you may know, I have had issues and now I have lost my sight,” he said. “I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed it.” He continued: “It’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight.”
The 77-year-old recently told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America that he lost vision in his right eye in July after contracting an infection in the South of France. “It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest,” he said. He hopes to continue working on his next album, but is “kind of stuck at the moment,” he added, due to his condition. But he’s not giving up.
At the time, he said “there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK.” He opened up about the steps he was taking: “We’re taking an initiative to try and get it better. But at the moment, that’s really what we’re concentrating on. It’s never fortunate for anything like this to happen.”
He admitted that the journey has been difficult. “It kind of floored me. I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything,” he explained. In September, he shared on Instagram that he was dealing with a “severe” eye infection and undergoing an “extremely slow” healing process.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are multiple different types of eye infections, which are usually caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites, or viruses that find their way into the eye, sometimes due to injury. It is in those cases that vision is most at risk.
Roberts pointed out that the singer is “still standing,” as the titular hit song proclaims, and he agreed. “I’ve been through so much and I’ve come out the other side. I’m always looking forward,” he said. “I’m the luckiest man in the world … I’m proud of my attitude toward myself and what’s going on. I’m just very lucky and I’m very grateful.”
The Never Too Late documentary will be released in limited U.S. theaters and on Disney+ on December 13.
link
