SHE’S a blonde, Welsh and sexy singing siren who is worth a fortune. But for years, behind the scenes, Bonnie Tyler has been plagued by having the “eyesight of an old lady”.
Her severe long-sightedness, combined with having one cornea “shaped like a rugby ball”, meant the gravel-voiced 57-year-old from Swansea ended up needing a magnifying glass to read her own lyrics and to apply her make up.
As she belted out hits including her number one Total Eclipse Of The Heart, behind her confident rock chic persona her vision began to deteriorate. And over the past decade it had become so poor she ended up “peering at everything like an old lady”, she told one newspaper.
“For the past 10 years or so, seeing anything close-up was so difficult that it became a real issue in my life,” said Bonnie.
“Holding a menu at arm’s length, peering at anything that required reading, made me feel so old.”
Bonnie revealed that her failing sight began to have a detrimental effect on her personal life and her work, making it difficult for her to concentrate on her voice.
“When I was in the recording studio, I needed to concentrate on what my voice was doing, which is rather difficult if you can’t actually see what you are supposed to be singing,” she added.
While surgical treatment for shortsightedness – myopia – has been available for more than a decade, when Bonnie tried to discover if there was a similar procedure that might benefit her long-sightedness, she found nothing – despite having an estimated £25m fortune.
Bonnie lives in Portugal with her property developer husband Robert Sullivan. The couple have a house on the beach near the central Algarve resort of Albufeira, where their neighbours include Sir Cliff Richard, former Chelsea football manager Jose Mourinho, footballers Alan Shearer and Paul Scholes and playwright Carla Lane.
But despite her wealth and contacts, it wasn’t until she was back in Britain last year on tour that she learned about the pioneering operation she had been seeking.
She had a consultation with Professor Dan Reinstein, in London, and after tests that ruled out eye disease, she was operated on.
Dr Reinstein, professor of ophthalmology in refractive surgery, helped develop the 20-minute procedure Laser Blended Vision. The procedure aims to correct eyesight for people aged over 45 years of age and costs from £4,600.
Dr Reinstein said: “Bonnie had two conditions that were corrected by laser eye surgery. She was long-sighted but she also had astigmatism – where the cornea is shaped like a rugby ball rather than a football as it should be.”
She also has presbyopia which is part of the ageing process and literally means “old sight”.
Bonnie said she felt some pressure on her eyes during the procedure but no pain and she was thrilled with the results.
“I could see everything close-up and I have been able to do so ever since.”
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