Elton John Opens up About Losing His Sight — and Refusing to Give Up

Sir Elton John is still standing, but the past year has taken a serious toll on his eyesight. In a November 2025 interview with Variety, the 78-year-old icon opened up about the infection that damaged his vision and how he’s learning to live with severe vision loss while holding on to hope for the future. Here’s an update on the singer’s condition.

Elton John Says the Vision Loss Has Been “Devastating”

In the interview, John details how drastically the eye infection changed his daily life. He says losing vision in his right eye and struggling with his left now affects even the simplest activities. He can’t easily watch TV, read, or fully follow what’s happening on stage at shows he attends.

“It’s been devastating,” he revealed. “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.”

Even so, John refuses to treat this chapter as the end of his story. He says he leans on top specialists and advances in eye medicine to stay optimistic. He also compares his mindset to his longtime AIDS activism. 

“I’ve had the most incredible life, and there is hope,” 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.” He also confirmed that he has already started treatments and has seen some improvement in his vision.

Elton John Has Been Struggling With His Eyesight for Some Time

John didn’t drop this news overnight. According to The Guardian, the vision story has unfolded in stages over more than a year. During the summer in the south of France, Elton contracted what he later described as a “severe eye infection.” The illness left him blind in his right eye and with only limited vision in his left. In September 2024, he told fans the infection had seriously affected his sight. He explained that he had no functional vision in one eye and reduced vision in the other.

On Dec. 1, 2024, Elton spoke even more directly. He revealed that he had “lost [his] eyesight” and could no longer read or watch television the way he used to. Around that same time, he promoted his Disney+ documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late,” and reflected on how he was adjusting to this new reality while looking back on his career.

However, at the 2025 Golden Globes, Elton addressed the headlines in real time. While presenting alongside Brandi Carlile, he reassured the crowd about his condition. “There’s been a lot of stories going on about my regressive eyesight, and I just wanted to reassure everybody that it’s not as bad as it seems,” he said, per Daily Mail. 

Were you surprised by how serious Elton’s eyesight struggles actually are? Comment below!