Glenn Beck Announces He May Go Blind in a Year

Jul. 21, 2010— -- During a tearful speech, Glenn Beck announced that he "might go blind in the next year" due to a rare eye condition known as macular dystrophy.

After having difficulty focusing his eyes, Beck went to see an eye doctor and was told he could be blind within a year, or not, depending on the progression of his disease.

The announcement came during Beck's final keynote speech of his "American Revival" tour in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was used illustrate a point Beck was making about the blessings of God.

"After I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I truly came to a place which is the greatest blessing: Lord, if you need my eyes, they're yours. They were yours the whole time anyway. Thank you for letting me see as far as I have," he said.

But the Fox News talk show host may have been speaking figuratively when he referred to his possible blindness, as macular dystrophies, by definition, only result in the loss of macular, or central vision, leaving the peripheral vision intact.

"Macular dystrophies lead to a very slow, progressive deterioration of central vision," says Dr. Sophie Bakri, associate professor of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Bakri has not examined Beck but is an expert in vitreoretinal diseases like macular dystrophy.

"Although in the advanced stages, patients may be 'legally blind' and unable to drive or read the newspaper, their peripheral vision remains unaffected and they are able to see light, shadows and some large letters."

Beck could have any one of a number of forms of macular dystrophy, all with different symptoms and prognoses, but representatives for Beck refused to comment on the record about more specific details of his condition.

Given his age, 46, it is most likely that Beck has a form of retinal macular dystrophy, says Bakri, and unfortunately, there are currently no treatments for these disorders.

This means that it is likely the conservative commentator will slowly lose his central vision, his ability to recognize faces, to read, and to perform other tasks that require the ability to see detail.