Bono Says He Wears His Signature Sunglass Because He's Had Glaucoma For 20 Years

If you assumed that Bono wore his signature sunglasses all the time because he wanted to look the part of a rock star, you'd be wrong. Apparently the 52-year-old U2 singer has been suffering from glaucoma for 20 years, and the condition (a buildup of pressure that can damage the optic nerve) makes his eyes sensitive to light, the Guardian reports.

Bono explained his condition on BBC's Graham Norton Show, saying, "I have good treatments and I am going to be fine."

He added, "You're not going to get this out of your head now and you will be saying , 'Ah, poor old blind Bono."

The band was on the show to promote their new album, Songs of Innocence, which was released commercially this week after previously being given away, unsolicited, to half a billion iTunes customers, many of whom were upset that the album was essentially shoved down their throats.

Bono addressed the situation saying, "We wanted to do something fresh, but it seems people don't believe in Father Christmas. All those people who were uninterested in U2 are now mad at U2. As far as we are concerned, it's an improvement."

The singer previously addressed the iTunes issue in a Facebook Q&A earlier this week.

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Bono, U2