Elton John has offered an update on his health after suffering “devastating” vision problems over the past year, stating: “You mustn’t give up hope”.
The legendary musician was speaking in a new interview with Variety, where he largely championed the work of his charity, The Elton John Aids Foundation, which he said has kept him going over the “challenges” of losing his eyesight.
John contracted an eye infection while on holiday in France last year, which has wreaked lasting repercussions on his sight. He is now fully blind in his right eye, and only partially sighted in his left.
“It’s been devastating,” the star admitted, “Because I lost my right eye and my left eye’s not so good, the last 15 months have been challenging for me because I haven’t been able to see anything, watch anything, read anything.”
Despite this, he added that he is still holding out for medical advancements and improvements, as he said: “I’ve just gotta be patient that someday science will help me with this one. Once they help me with this one, I’ll be fine. It’s exactly like the Aids situation. You mustn’t give up hope, you must be stoic, you must be strong and you must always try and batter the door down to try and improve things.”
Similarly, John’s husband, David Furnish, also offered a more detailed insight to the options they are exploring to try to save his vision. “We’ve been doing some treatments and there’s been some improvements in his left eye, which is really good,” he explained.
While seeking the cutting edge of science, Furnish noted how “things are changing really quickly,” and, “What AI is doing for medicine and science alone is astonishing.”
John then candidly confessed: “I mean, you just have to grin and bear it. It does get me down sometimes. But on the whole, I’ve got a wonderful family; I have two great kids; I have him,” referencing Furnish.
Although this represents the latest in a line of health issues John has faced over the years, he is still set to remain positive and working in a musical capacity. Despite announcing his retirement some years ago, he has just been revealed as one of the headliners for Rock in Rio 2026.
