Stevie Wonder has responded to persistent rumours that he may not be blind after all and can sight.
Despite popular perception, Wonder was not born blind; rather, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) caused him to lose his vision at the age of six weeks.
The well-known artist spent the initial part of his life in an incubator due to his premature birth. Additionally, ROP occurred as a result of the incubator’s excessive oxygen content.
Premature babies are affected by ROP, an eye condition in which the retina develops aberrant blood vessels. If the growth is not treated right away, it may cause blindness or vision loss.
Eye exams are essential for early detection, but other symptoms include crossed eyes, whitish or foggy eyes, and strange eye motions.
Wonder discussed his illness at a performance in Cardiff, Wales, as part of his Love, Light, and Song tour, which is now starting its UK leg.
In a video shared by the Cardiff Life Instagram page, Wonder said: “I must say to all of you, something that I was thinking, ‘When did I want to let the world know this?’ But I wanted to say it right now.”
“You know there have been rumors about me seeing and all that? But seriously, you know the truth.”
Setting the record straight, the 75-year-old added: “Truth is, shortly after my birth, I became blind. Now, that was a blessing because it’s allowed me to see the world in the vision of truth, of sight.”
“See people in the spirit of them, not how they look. Not what color they are, but what color is their spirit?”
Shaquille O’Neal earlier told a story about how he met Wonder in the lift, which raised the possibility that the seasoned musician might see.
The athlete claims that when the chance meeting occurred, the two were residents of the same building complex on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Wonder went to the lobby, where O’Neal was waiting in the lift, while the valets parked his vehicle.
Wonder reportedly knew the NBA player right away despite his inability to sight.
O’Neal explained: “He comes in, says ‘what’s up Shaq’. Presses the button, it’s a true story, presses the button, gets off on his floor by himself, goes to his room.”
“I went and called every person I knew and told the story. They didn’t believe me.”
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