The Truth About Bono’s Sunglasses
Sometime around the start of the ZOO-TV tour, Bono started appearing everywhere in sunglasses. What seemed to start off as an affectation related to his onstage persona of The Fly morphed into a full-time thing. From about 1993 on, it was rare to see him without sunglasses. This, to some, made him look like even more of a pretentious prat.
When he was asked about the sunglasses, he explained that he had sensitive eyes or allergies or something else to that effect. The truth is that he’s been suffering from glaucoma, a progressive disorder of the optic nerve. The buildup of pressure within the eye can make a person more sensitive to light, hence the utility of sunglasses.
If untreated, glaucoma can cause blindness–my mother is currently monitoring her situation, which doesn’t bode well for me down the line–but with proper care, glaucoma can be managed. Bono has, of course, access to the best ophthalmologic treatment in the galaxy, so he’ll be fine. But that treatment has been ongoing for twenty years.
Feel bad about calling Bono a prat now? More on Bono’s eyes at The Telegraph.
