‘I am devastated, I can’t see anything’: Sir Elton John lays bare the extent of his vision loss a year after contracting a severe eye infection in France

Sir Elton John says it has been “devastating” to lose the ability to “see anything, watch anything, read anything”, as the music legend continues to grapple with major vision loss.

The 78-year-old British music icon opened up about the dramatic decline in his eyesight during a wide-ranging interview with Variety on Tuesday.

John explained that after contracting an eye infection while holidaying in France last year, he has now lost all vision in his right eye and partial vision in his left.

“It’s been devastating,” he 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.”

The singer said he has been “doing some treatments” that have led to “some improvements” in his left eye, and is “continuing to explore and getting a lot of outreach from a lot of doctors” who are offering their expertise.

Despite holding on to hope, John said it has been “tough” to attend concerts to support fellow artists because he can’t “really see what’s going on”.

He added that he’s grateful for the steady stream of calls from industry friends including Chappel Roan, Brandi Carlile, Paul McCartney, Peter Townsend and Mick Jagger, who regularly check in.

When it comes to his own music, John has officially stepped back from touring but still performs at private events. He admitted he was initially “terrified” he wouldn’t be able to see the piano keys or microphone, but was relieved to discover he can, because “everything’s so up close.”

“What I can’t see when I’m playing with the band is the band, which is a bit of a nightmare,” he said.

On the upside, the five-time Grammy winner said he’s “singing better than I’ve ever done before.”

John’s husband, David Furnish, said there is optimism that the Rocketman singer will still be able to read long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin’s lyrics when the time comes to write new music.

“This is where we’re getting encouraging little baby steps, going in the right direction, which is really good.”