Sir Elton John opens up about losing his vision after 'severe' infection

Sir Elton John has opened up about his loss of vision after battling a “severe” infection earlier this year.

Elton revealed in September he had “limited vision” in his right eye due to the infection, which he suffered over the summer.

While Elton has “hope” his vision will eventually be restored, he said he is currently unable to work on new music because of the limitations.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. I just have to get off my backside,” he told Good Morning America.

“I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the South of France.

“It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. My left eye is not the greatest.

“There’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay, but I’m kind of stuck in the moment, because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording, I don’t know. Because I can’t see a lyric for start.”

The 77-year-old - who shares sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11, with husband David Furnish – admitted he has been struggling with his latest health battle.

“We’re taking initiative to try and get it better. But at the moment, that’s really what I’m concentrating on. It’s never fortunate for anything like this to happen,” he said.

“It kind of floored me, and I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”

Despite his health woes, the music legend – who is the subject of an upcoming Disney+ documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late – said he still feels “lucky”.

“I’m the luckiest man in the world.

“I’m so proud of the documentary, I’m proud of my sons, I’m proud of my attitude toward myself and what’s going on. I’m just very lucky and very grateful.

“I am an iron man, because I’ve been through so much and come out the other side.”

Elton first revealed he had been left with “limited vision” in one eye in a lengthy post on social media.

“Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he wrote in September.

“I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks. I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.”

In October, Elton joked there was “not much of me left” due to his various health issues.

“To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left," he said following a screening of Elton John: Never Too Late at New York Film Festival.

“I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate. I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee.

“In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip. But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you [enough], you’re the people that made me.”

Elton retired from touring last summer after finishing his Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour.

This article was first published by Bang! Showbiz and is republished here with permission and additional reporting from NZ Herald.