17-time World Champion John Cena recently revealed that he discovered that he had a rare eye condition.
He had initially brushed off the symptoms as part of getting older. During an interview with PEOPLE, the ‘Leader of Cenation’ revealed that he began experiencing constant irritation in his eyes.
At 49, he initially assumed the issues were normal, but eventually decided to get his eyes checked to see if he needed glasses or a prescription.
“I had a lot of redness and itchiness, and every once in a while, waking up with eye crusties and stuff. At the same time, given my age — I’m 49 now — my vision was going a little bit, so I just figured it was par for the course. But because my vision was going, I needed to see if I needed glasses or prescriptions.”
Cena said that he avoided visiting a doctor for some time, convincing himself that the symptoms were likely caused by “lights,” “spending way too much time on my screen,” or simply “old age.”
John Cena Diagnosed With Rare Eye Condition
However, he decided to get his eyes checked, which led to a diagnosis of Demodex blepharitis. Cena said:
“Demodex blepharitis, which I didn’t even know existed.”
The former World Champion encouraged people to get regular eye checkups, comparing them to routine dental care. He said the examination and diagnosis were simple, and while he still needs reading glasses, the redness, itchiness, and crust around his eyes have gone away.
“I recommend that everybody do the same. A regular eye checkup is just as important as taking care of your teeth or anything else. The examination was easy. It’s certainly part of a regular eye exam, and the diagnosis was simple. Now, I still need my readers, but I don’t have that redness, that itchiness and certainly not waking up with the crusties.”
What is Demodex Blepharitis?
As per the Cleveland Clinic, Demodex blepharitis (DB) is an eyelid disease caused by an infestation of Demodex mites, microscopic parasites that live in hair follicles, which are commonly found on humans. The condition causes itchy eyes, puffy eyelids and crusty flakes along the eyelashes, according to
John Cena was prescribed XDEMVY — FDA-approved prescription eye drops from Tarsus Pharmaceuticals — and said that, “immediately, all that stuff went away.”
“Now, I still need my readers, but I don’t have that redness, that itchiness and certainly not waking up with the crusties,” Cena shares.
Cena admitted that he was surprised to learn that DB is a common but underdiagnosed eyelid condition affecting roughly 25 million Americans, and “that is just the people who’ve gone to their doctor and been checked out,” he noted.