With their perfectly primed hair and whiter than white teeth, we often think of celebrities as perfect human beings. But it’s important to remember that Instagram selfies are not always accurate – good lighting and knowing your angles can make all the difference. Are there any celebrities that don’t live up to this ‘perfect’ façade?
Ed Sheeran is slightly cross-eyed. Ed was born with a birthmark on his eye that progressively turned into glaucoma. To prevent further deterioration, Sheeran had the mark lasered off when he was a child but was subsequently left with a lazy eye.
Interestingly, Ed acknowledges that he is not like other celebrities and refers to himself as a bit of an ‘odd-ball’. But what exactly makes Ed Sheeran so relatable? Keep reading to find out.
Glaucoma
A quick Google search will show you that quite a lot of people are intrigued about Ed Sheeran’s eyes. It’s clear that there is something slightly abnormal about them but many people struggle to put their finger on what exactly it is.
In 2016 The Breakfast Club radio station articulated this rather bluntly. They said: “When I first saw you I thought there was something wrong with your eyes. They looked like they were too far apart”. Luckily, Ed wasn’t offended by the remarks and instead clarified:
“I’ve got a lazy eye. I had a birthmark on my eye that was turning into glaucoma which meant I would’ve gone blind. I got it lasered off which gave me a stutter for a while and also a lazy eye. This was when I was like 2, but my eye still goes that way”
So, realistically, Ed has been dealing with eye trouble for as long as he can remember.
If you’ve never heard of glaucoma before it is best described as an eye disease related to the optic nerve, which is responsible for connecting the eye to the brain. Excess fluid builds up and damages this nerve, which in turn causes vision to deteriorate. If left untreated it can lead to a loss of vision.
As pointed out in The Breakfast Club radio interview, Fetty Wap also suffered from glaucoma. Unfortunately, Fetty’s was not detected early enough and he consequently lost his left eye when he was 6 months old. So Ed certainly had a lucky escape!
Double Vision
Despite this, Ed is still dealing with the long-term effects of glaucoma. That is, a lazy eye and poor vision. In a Tweet from 2011, Ed confirmed this by saying “I have very bad eyesight”.
While Ed has not elaborated on the extent of his vision issues, fans have speculated that he suffers from both short-sightedness and far-sightedness. In one interview, Sheeran claimed that he can see things that are around 10 feet away but struggles if they are any further. But in a more recent interview, Sheeran said that he has to wear glasses to read text on his phone.
In any case, Ed is notoriously known for losing his glasses.
An Outsider
Whichever way you look at it, Ed’s lazy eye isn’t the only reason that he stands out from other celebrities. In fact, the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter argues that being slightly weird has contributed to his success. Speaking of his friendship with fellow superstar Taylor Swift, Ed notes:
“We were both the uncool kids. Our fan base is exactly the same. […] Our gigs, we attract the outsiders, they relate to us the most. I get kids turning up at my shows on their own. […] We’re all outsiders who found solace in music”.
Ed believes that his audience relates to his status as an outsider. He questions whether success would have found him quite as easily if he was more ‘normal’. So being a messy-haired ginger, with a stutter and poor vision has been Ed Sheeran’s saving grace.
What do you think – in a world full of Kardashians do we need more relatable celebs like Ed Sheeran?