phillip schofield© Photo: Getty Images

Phillip Schofield's battle with 'debilitating' eye condition revealed

The This Morning star has spoken out about problems with his sight

Senior Health & Fitness Writer
September 23, 2021

Phillip Schofield has previously revealed he suffers from 'eye floaters', and it's been an ongoing battle for the This Morning star.

He first spoke out about the condition in October, when he discussed it with fellow This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby, and eye doctor Dr Sara.

SEE: Phillip Schofield gets emotional over Julia Bradbury's cancer diagnosis

WATCH: Phillip Schofield discusses his 'toughest time ever'

"My retinas are not detaching," Phillip explained. "But I have debilitating eye floaters."

He added: "I am at the cutting edge of all this, let me tell you, because the only way to treat them is a vitrectomy, where they suck the jelly out of your eye.

"Within 12 months you get a cataract, so they are trying to pioneer a half vitrectomy which started in America – see I know a lot about this! You have half the vitrectomy, take the floaters out, but you don’t get a cataract. And I am hoping I might be the first person in the country to get this!"

MORE: Phillip Schofield's £2m pad is nothing like his former marital home

© Photo: Rex

Phillip Schofield discussed the issue with Dr Sara

Holly replied: "Would you want to be the first?" to which Phillip said: "Yes I would, because they drive me insane! My vision is like a filthy bathroom window drifting across my eyes, and it drives me crazy."

In fact, speaking on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Phillip said that when he sat his mother down to tell her he was gay, she actually thought he was going to tell her he was going blind.

© Photo: Rex

Phillip Schofield and his mother Pat

"I said, 'I'm gay'," Phillip explained. "And she went, 'Oh thank god', and I looked at her and she said, 'I thought you were going blind', and I said, 'What the hell do you mean?'

"She said: 'Those things you've got in your eyes and I know you've been very sad recently'."

Thankfully, Phillip certainly isn't going blind, as Dr Sara explained that it would only be an "emergency" if his retinas had fully detached.

"Floaters occur when you get small dots across your eyesight," she said. "They are not usually anything to worry about, and it occurs as we get older because the jelly-like substance in our eye becomes a bit more liquified as we get older, and that can cause clumps. It can also cause the retina to detach slightly from the edges, and that's what causes those shadows.

"But for most people, nothing to worry about, your brain actually adjusts to them and you stop seeing them."

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Transform your routine with expert advice from our beauty and wellness team

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Health & Fitness

See more