Television presenter Claudia Winkleman has spoken candidly about her lifelong struggle with a chronic eye condition, revealing she has “never really” been able to see her own face in the mirror.
The 53-year-old Traitors host, who was awarded an MBE by King Charles earlier this year, said she was born with severe short-sightedness, also known as myopia. “I was born, I think, with minus 15, so I’ve never really been able to see my face. It’s all guesswork,” she explained on the How To Fail podcast last November.
Short-sightedness (myopia) is a common eye condition where nearby objects can be seen clearly, but distant objects appear blurred. It happens when the eye is slightly too long (from the front to the back) or the cornea (the clear front part of the eye) is too curved, meaning light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina rather than directly on it.
Symptoms include blurred distance vision, needing to squint to see clearly, and eye strain.
Myopia often develops in childhood or teenage years and can worsen over time.
Winkleman has undergone several operations in an effort to improve her vision. She admitted that her eyesight issues have at times made presenting difficult, including struggling to read an autocue. More recently, her vision has changed, and she now also experiences long-sightedness.
Long-sightedness (hyperopia) is the opposite: distant objects are usually seen more clearly than nearby ones, though severe cases can blur vision at all distances. It occurs when the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat, causing light to focus behind the retina.
Symptoms include difficulty focusing on close-up tasks like reading, eye strain, and headaches.
Hyperopia can be present from birth but often becomes more noticeable with age, particularly as the eye’s natural lens loses flexibility.
While glasses, contact lenses and corrective surgery can help manage both conditions, people with severe cases — like Winkleman — may continue to face daily challenges.
Her openness has drawn attention to how common vision problems are and how significantly they can impact everyday life.
If you are concerned please speak to your optometrist.
