Alan Carr undergoes terrifying procedure after suffering major health scare
Popular comedian and presenter Alan Carr has opened up about a recent health scare, revealing that he was "so worried" by the ordeal. Speaking on his Life's a Beach podcast, Alan, 48, shared that he was force to endure a "surreal" experience when a "spike" was stuck into his eye.
Alan underwent the medical procedure, to alleviate pressure in his eyes, at Moorlands Eye Hospital in London. He said he was "so worried" as the thought of losing his sight is the "worst thing" for him.
The comedian joked that he had mistakenly been getting the name of the condition wrong. He said: "I've got astigmatism - I kept telling people I had stigmata, like the wounds of Christ. Get over yourself, Alan. I've got astigmatism - I kept telling people I had stigmata, like the wounds of Christ. Get over yourself, Alan."
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He then shared his recent worries about his eye sight. "I had a bit of a health scare. I went to Moorfields [Eye Hospital, London]. I've got something wrong with my eyes - quite a bit of pressure. I hate the glaucoma thing, when they squirt the air in your eyes. I had something wrong with my eyes in the cornea. I was so worried."
Talking about the treatment he received, he said: "I hate the glaucoma thing, when they squirt the air in your eyes. He had to basically choke me because this air going into my eye was too much. At Moorfields they anaesthetised my eyeball, and then the spike came in on to the lens to see if it worked.
"They said: 'Just relax Alan, and just concentrate on the spike going into your eye.' I'm like excuse me? What? Oh good, the spike is coming closer. Relax! It was so surreal. Losing my sight is my worst thing, and I can feel it getting worse."
He explained that his "eyeballs need draining" because they have "too much pressure". For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
While Alan's experience sounds extreme, astigmatism is relatively common and affects about 1 in 3 people. According to the NHS, astigmatism is when your eye isn't perfectly circular and is instead shaped more like a rugby ball than a football. It means that light coming to the eye cannot be cannot be perfectly lined up. Common symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, and eye strain. A common treatment for astigmatism is glasses.
