Devil Wears Prada star Anne Hathaway is ready to open up about her “secret” decade-long medical condition.
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During her recent appearance on The New York Times’ Podcast podcast, the actress revealed she was “legally blind” in one eye throughout her 30s as she battled an early-onset cataract.
“This may be too much information,” she explained. “I was half blind for 10 years. It impacted my vision so much that I was basically legally blind out of my left eye, and I wound up getting surgery. And I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until I could finally see the full spectrum.”
Hathaway also said that the medical condition also impacted her in other ways. “I’ve calmed down since then,” she continued. “I didn’t realize it was actually taxing my nervous system.”
She went on to say that her current eye vision is a “miracle.”
“I appreciate vision because I literally feel like every day, I wake up, and I get to see the way that I do, it’s a miracle,” she said. “I actually am like, ‘Oh, two generations back, that wouldn’t have been an option for someone like me.’ So, I actually do feel very connected to that kind of a miracle.”
The actress spoke out about her medical condition just a few months after she opened up about her image insecurities.
“Some days you look in the mirror, and you’re just like, ‘Not bad,'” she said at the time. “And some days you look in the mirror, and you’re like, ‘What?’ And I was having a ‘What?’ day.”
The Medical Condition is Often Associated With Aging
According to the Cleveland Clinic, cataracts are described as “cloudy areas” that form on the eye lens. This is due to proteins in the lens breaking down. Protein breakdown often begins around age 40. However, many people won’t have noticeable symptoms until age 60 or older.
“You may feel as if you’re looking at the world through a dirty window,” the Clinic states. “Over time, your vision gets worse. You may have a hard time carrying out routine tasks.”
Cataracts are often associated with aging. However, there are other types of cataracts, including pediatric, traumatic, and secondary. Cataracts are often associated with conditions, including diabetes.
The World Health Organization notes that about 17% of people worldwide have cataracts that cause vision problems.