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

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

phillip schofield
Bridie Wilkins
Senior Health & Fitness Writer
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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.

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"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!"

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dr sara© 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.

PHILLIP SCHOFIELD MOTHER© 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."

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