The U2 lead vocalist and activist Bono had talked about his eye condition when appearing on the BBC’s Graham Norton Show where he said: “This is a good place to explain to people that I’ve had glaucoma for the last 20 years. I have good treatments and I am going to be fine.”
Bono opens up on his eye condition
Bono’s coloured glasses not only his fashion accessory but it is there to alleviate any difficulties caused by the condition that occurs due to damage to the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain.
“You’re not going to get this out of your head now and you will be saying, ‘Ah, poor old blind Bono,’” the star continued to say whilst appearing on the chat show.
For those unknown, Glaucoma, as explained by the National Eye Institute, is the name given to a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness. Symptoms tend to begin slowly making it difficult for individuals to notice at first. Due to this, the condition is typically diagnosed through an eye examination, making it even more important that individuals regularly get their eyes checked.
The most common type of glaucoma is a type known as open-angle glaucoma. It is to be noted that it is caused by the drainage channels in the eye which over time become gradually clogged and fluid tends to build up.
It has been noted that the other types of glaucoma include:
- Acute angle closure glaucoma – an uncommon type caused by the drainage in the eye becoming suddenly blocked, which can raise the pressure inside the eye very quickly
- Secondary glaucoma – caused by an underlying eye condition, such as inflammation of the eye (uveitis)
- Childhood glaucoma (congenital glaucoma) – a rare type that occurs in very young children, caused by an abnormality of the eye.
Although anyone is at risk of developing the eye condition, there are certain risk factors that make individuals at a higher risk. These include those aged over 60 and those with a history of glaucoma in their families.
Despite the condition usually developing slowly, when individuals do start to notice symptoms they may include blurred vision, or seeing rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights.