Claudia Winkleman’s health condition that left The Traitors star unable to read
Claudia Winkleman will return to our screens this evening to host season two of The Traitors, but many are unaware that the witty TV star is battling a lifelong health condition.
The 51-year-old opened up about her myopia diagnosis in a recent How To Fail podcast, which left her "banging into walls". Myopia is a common eye condition in which near objects appear clear, but things further away display blurry, reports the Mayo Clinic.
Lifting the lid on her vision, Clauda said: "I've always had terrible eyesight. Which is going back to the blurriness of the paintings I like and the blurriness of how I really like life to be."
She added: "I was born, I think with minus 15, so I've never really been able to see my face. It's all guesswork." According to Healthline, if a number has a minus (-) sign next to it, it indicates that someone is nearsighted, while a plus sign (+) suggests an individual is farsighted. A higher number means that the patient requires a stronger prescription.
"I've had a couple of operations since then because I was just banging into walls. But now I wear lenses or glasses or whatever," Claudia explained. But she confessed: "Everything is ish, it's just a vague idea which is how I'd like to live. I don't want to live in a perfect land. I want to live in fuzzy world."
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Speaking to The Sun in 2021, Claudia discussed her laser eye-surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London - a major operation that uses lasers to reshape the front surface of your eyes, so that they can focus better. The operation was crucial because the condition was affecting Claudia’s hosting role on Strictly Come Dancing.
She said: "I can't even begin to tell you how blind I am. It's embarrassing. I can't read the autocue. My eyes have deteriorated so badly, I'm not meant to drive. I am doing the wrong job." Reflecting on the successful procedure, she said: "It was a frightening time but the operation was life-changing. I am so grateful to the fantastic staff at Moorfields [Hospital]."
Consultant doctor Samer Hamada, an ophthalmic surgeon, told casinos.win that surgery outcomes for severe myopia can vary. He added: "While many see a significant improvement, achieving perfect vision isn’t guaranteed. Factors like severity, anatomy, and underlying conditions play a role. In Claudia’s case, despite two surgeries, there may be residual refractive error or other issues affecting her vision such as degenerative changes on the retina due to the high level of myopia.
"With such a high prescription, it is impossible to fully correct with laser surgery on the cornea. It is not uncommon that despite multiple surgeries, someone with very high myopia will still need glasses or contact lenses to see."
Myopia statistics
Touching on myopia cases in the UK, the doctor said: "In the UK severe myopia like Claudia’s with -15 is relatively uncommon but its prevalence is gradually increasing, particularly among younger generations. About 30 per cent of the world is currently myopic and that is expected to rise to 50 per cent (approximately five billion people) by 2050.
"Those with high myopia are around 277 million (two to five per cent of the population). By 2050 that is projected to reach 10 per cent of the population, or around one billion people."
The expert explains that the rise of myopia among the younger population is linked to "close-up work around reading and screens". He added: "Changes in modern lifestyle are also to be blamed for the increase of myopia. Less time spent on outdoor activities means reduced exposure to natural light that is believed to protect against myopia progress."
According to the NHS, warning signs of myopia that can appear in adults and children include:
Difficulty reading words from a distance, such as reading the whiteboard at school
Sitting close to the TV or computer, or holding a mobile phone or tablet close to the face
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Getting headaches
Rubbing the eyes a lot
If you or your child are experiencing the warning signs listed above, the NHS recommends visiting an optician as soon as possible.
The Traitors will return tonight (January 3) at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with episodes two and three being made available on iPlayer immediately after. Viewers can watch the show on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.
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