Sir Elton John album on hold as Rocket Man icon issues health update

Expressing doubt about his ability to record any new music, he said: "It's been a while since I've done anything. I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France.

"It's been four months now since I haven't been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest. So there's hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but I'm kind of stuck at the moment."

He continued: "Because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording, I don't know, because I can't see a lyric for a start.

"We're taking an initiative to try and get it better, but at the moment that's really what we're concentrating on."

He continued: "It's never fortunate for anything like this to happen. And it kind of floored me and I can't see anything, I can't read anything, I can't watch anything."

The Rocket Man hitmaker revealed in September that he had suffered a "severe eye infection" over the summer that had left him with "only limited vision in one eye".

"I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye," he said at the time.

"I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks," he continued.

"I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far."

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