Morning Live: Lisa George discusses coping with eye condition
Coronation Street star Lisa George has candidly shared her daunting experience since leaving the ITV soap.
The soap star has been battling with NAION - non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy - a serious condition that can culminate in abrupt vision loss due to limited blood circulation to the optic nerve. With partial blindness affecting one of her eyes and only peripheral sight in the other, Lisa has opened up about her fears.
Forging a new path post-diagnosis, Lisa felt compelled to seek fresh opportunities beyond her longstanding role on Corrie. Discussing her health journey on Morning Live, she recounted: "I'd been to the theatre to see a Shakespeare production and at the end of one of the scenes, there was a blackout - it really was dark. The actors left the set and I thought, oh my gosh, I'm not going to be able to do that. I wouldn't be able to see or get off the stage."
"I remember going home that night and it just had a massive impact on me. I remember thinking I wouldn't be able to do theatre again. I had this panic - I've got to get out there. I had spoken to my producer about my fear but in my head, I knew I wasn't going to do it."
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Explaining why she chose to quit the soap, Lisa elaborated on her ambition to embrace different roles. She said: "There were things I still wanted to achieve and that's why I decided I needed to do something else. I don't want to be known for one character all my life. I could easily do that, but I thought I needed to get back to my roots."
Lisa is determined not to let her condition dictate her life. Speaking candidly, she confessed: "It put the fear in me. I was really frightened because you just don't know what the future is. I just get on with it, because what other choices do I have. I just have to look at it a different way."
She revealed that adjustments had been made to help her cope, including an increase in the font size on her computer and the necessity for enlarged print. Lisa also shared some of the everyday challenges she faces, such as mistakenly dropping cups instead of placing them on tables and frequently colliding with furniture in her own home.
Host Helen Skelton commended Lisa's attitude, saying: "The fact you laugh at yourself will give people hope," applauding her openness about her struggles. The BBC programme then took a moment to guide viewers on how to enlarge text on their mobile devices.
