Whoopi Goldberg Ditches Glasses After Eye Surgery: Everything to Know About Her Condition 

Talk show host Whoopi Goldberg sported a new look during an episode of The View on Monday, March 20. The EGOT winner underwent eye surgery and was able to ditch her glasses for the first time in nearly three decades. Get details on her condition and procedure by scrolling below. 

Why Did Whoopi Goldberg Have Eye Surgery? 

During the episode, Whoopi’s cohosts pointed out the fact that she wasn’t wearing her signature glasses for the broadcast. Normally, she’d need them to see papers on the table in front of her or to read lines off the teleprompter. 

“I had an operation, and they replaced the lens and the lens they replaced it with is kind of like my eyeglass lens,” she explained to her costars about undergoing an eye procedure. 

The Sister Act star decided to have surgery after realizing how much her eyesight has changed over time. She revealed she had “teeny tiny” cataracts in her eye that needed to be replaced.  

“Two weeks ago, when we had a show with the folks from Picard, I was trying to read the prompter without my actual glasses and I couldn’t do it. So, I ended up having to use [my glasses],” Whoopi recalled. 

What Kind of Eye Condition Does Whoopi Goldberg Have? 

The surgery that Whoopi had was to correct a condition called presbyopia, “the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects,” per Mayo Clinic. The Ghost actress told the audience that she only had one eye done so far but was very pleased with the results. 

“This is something they’ve been doing for a while and people don’t know about it,” she said. “Your insurance will cover it, though you have to pay for the lens yourself.”

Fans might not be used to seeing Whoopi without glasses, but she was excited to show off her new look on TV. 

“I’ve been wearing glasses now for almost 28 years. If you’re over 28, you know what I looked like before, when I was wearing sunglasses or cool glasses because they were cool,” the New York native quipped. “If you’re under 28, you don’t know that there was a time that I didn’t have glasses, and now, this is what I look like! You know, it’s not so bad.”

One month before her eye surgery, Whoopi admitted she accidentally sat on her glasses and was forced to wear an older pair during a February 1 episode of The View. 

“I have on glasses that are maybe 4 years old, so, if you see me [squinting], that’s why,” she told viewers. “I just wanted y’all to know there’s nothing wrong — I just sat on the glasses, not paying a bit of attention to where my big behind was going. Just click.”