Roseanne Barr thought she was going blind, but found out it was a misdiagnosis

Premiere Of ABC's 'Roseanne' - Arrivals
Getty Images | Alberto E. Rodriguez

Roseanne Barr believed she was going blind. In 2015, she announced she was losing her eyesight after being diagnosed with macular degeneration and glaucoma, a disease from which her father also suffers. Then about a year later, Barr found out she had been misdiagnosed, and she wasn’t losing her eyesight, after all. What a relief!

Barr had been under the impression she would eventually go blind from macular degeneration and glaucoma. According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss amongst Americans. It’s caused by “the deterioration of the central portion of the retina,” the part that allows us to focus on images.

Despite learning that she would lose her vision, Barr kept a positive attitude.

“My dad has macular degeneration so I thought it was genetic,” she told People magazine. “I just accepted it. It was a way better diagnosis than some of my friends were getting. It’s not deadly. I didn’t take it too badly.”

Roseanne Barr photo
Getty Images | Astrid Stawiarz

However, a visit to a diffeerent doctor revealed that she wasn’t losing her eyesight after all.

“I went to a new doctor about a year ago,” Barr told People. “She told me I don’t have macular degeneration, but rather a mole on the inside of my eye that’s growing, and that’s why my vision is narrowing. Probably in the next year or so I can get it removed. I have a bad eye, but I’m not losing my eyesight.”

This new diagnosis must have been a big relief. But if you’re wondering how Barr spent the yearlong time period during which she thought she was losing her eyesight, she didn’t take her vision for granted.

“I just try and enjoy vision as much as possible — y’know, living it up,” she told The Daily Beast.

‘Roseanne’ Is Back

Despite these health issues, Barr continued to go after her career goals as well. The reboot of “Roseanne” aired on ABC on March 27. Barr was at the helm of the project this time around, helping with the writing and production aspects of the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X32lP33kyOs

According to Deadline, the two-episode premiere garnered millions of viewers. The first episode clocked in at 17.7 million viewers and the second episode’s viewership rose to 18.6 million, the publication reported.

For Barr, working on the show for a second time around had a lot to do with her desire for personal growth.

Roseanne Barr photo
Getty Images | Alberto E. Rodriguez

“I’m getting a second chance to clean up bad habits and trash left lying around,” she told the L.A. Times. “I thought I would be able to clean up a lot of dirt that I left, that I would be a leader in a better way. That I would once again be the boss but be much more tempered and old and wise. I’ve learned a lot of things about people and how to deal with them. I have life skills that I feel I was not great at before. I felt that this was karmic and also spiritual.”

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About the Author
Augusta Statz
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.

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