Elton John To Have Laser Eye Surgery, Ditch Trademark Glasses
(11/13/02, 6 p.m. ET) — Elton John, known as much for his flamboyant wardrobe and decadent eyewear as his music, is about to change his image permanently.
John, 55, revealed in a British television interview that he will undergo corrective laser eye surgery in February 2003, and banish his trademark glasses for good. The artist, who currently owns about 4,000 pairs, said he was sick of never being able to find them (perhaps his home is a little bigger than our own).
“I can’t see anything, so why wait?” John said in the interview. Recalling the first pair of glasses he owned, John said, “In those days you went to the opticians and you had two or three glasses to choose from–tortoiseshell or the round ones John Lennon used to wear. But now you can get everything.”
And get everything, he did–John has admitted to buying some 20,000 pairs over the years, including designs with windscreen wipers, flashing lights, and sun visors. John also said he plans to auction off his abundant collection of specs.