Alan Carr's heartbreaking secret health battle as he faced 'losing eyesight'

Alan Carr and Amanda Holden open the Royal Variety show

Alan Carr has opened up about a frightening health ordeal that left him fearing he might lose his eyesight.

The comedian and TV personality spoke about the surreal medical procedure he had to deal with excessive pressure in his eyes during an episode of his Life’s A Beach podcast.

Speaking candidly, Carr explained: "I’ve got astigmatism — though for ages I was telling people I had stigmata, like the wounds of Christ. Get over yourself, Alan."

Although Alan initially addressed the topic with his usual sense of humour, it soon became clear that his health issue was no laughing matter.

He added: "I had a bit of a health scare. I went to Moorfields [Eye Hospital] because I’ve got something wrong with my eyes. There’s quite a bit of pressure."

Alan Carr suffers from astigmatism (Image: Getty)

"I had something wrong with my eyes in the cornea. I was so worried."

Alan’s condition required draining fluid from his eyes to relieve the pressure. He went on to describe the unsettling experience of going through a serious procedure where a spike was inserted into his anesthetised eye while he was still awake.

Carr shared: "They told me, ‘Just relax, Alan, concentrate on the spike going into your eye.’ I thought, ‘Excuse me? What?!’"

Alan admitted to being anxious that his astigmatism might get worse, adding "losing my sight is my worst fear".

He also opened up about the discomfort he feels when doing certain diagnostic tests, such as the glaucoma air-puff test, saying: "I hate the glaucoma thing, when they squirt the air in your eyes. It’s just too much."

He had to have a needle inserted into his eye to relieve pressure (Image: Getty)

Despite grappling with this health challenge, Alan's career has continued to soar. His semi-autobiographical sitcom, Changing Ends, recently captured the hearts of audiences.

The show drew on his experiences of growing up in Northampton during the 1980s as the son of Graham Carr, the ex-manager of Northampton Town FC.

After the first two seasons were a success with ITV's audience, Changing Ends was recomissioned for a third and fourth series. Each of them will feature six new episodes.

Alan reflected on this achievement, gushing: "To get your own sitcom recommissioned for a series is the most wonderful news ever, but to have TWO series recommissioned is utterly mind-blowing and such a huge compliment which I do not take lightly."