At 61 years of age, Forest Whitaker has endured six decades of living with impaired vision due to ptosis, which is where the upper eyelid droops down. Only affecting his left lid, the father-of-four has gone on to win an Oscar and BAFTA, among many other notable accolades. The award-winning actor, who has most recently been involved in the drama TV series Extrapolations, has decided against corrective surgery on his eye.
Extrapolations, the eight-part anthology series, will explore the climate crisis.
And high-profile celebrities are involved in the production, from Meryl Streep to Kit Harington and David Schwimmer.
To be aired on Apple TV (with a release date yet to be confirmed), Forest plays a small-time investor called August Bolo.
Speaking more in depth about his condition, experts at the prestigious Moorfields Eye Hospital said: “A low upper lid can interfere with vision by affecting the top part of your visual field.
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“The muscle or tendon is reattached to your eyelid using sutures,” the experts pointed out, “which are buried under the skin.”
While the sutures might be visible on the skin of the eyelids, they are usually removed one week post surgery.
“Occasionally, the lid is suspended from the brow in order to raise it,” the experts continued.
Such a procedure involves using a tendon from the thigh, or taking an incision above the knee.
“The muscle or tendon is reattached to your eyelid using sutures,” the experts pointed out, “which are buried under the skin.”
While the sutures might be visible on the skin of the eyelids, they are usually removed one week post surgery.
“Occasionally, the lid is suspended from the brow in order to raise it,” the experts continued.
Such a procedure involves using a tendon from the thigh, or taking an incision above the knee.
Without corrective surgery, Forest has gone on to star in Hollywood movies, has been married (and divorced), and has had children.
It seems the star’s vision may be in good health, despite ptosis, which some critics have said has helped him in his portrayal of more complicated characters.
Other celebrities, according to All About Vision, suffer from ptosis, including Paris Hilton and Kate Hudson.
Forest Whitaker stars in the film Taken 3, on Film 4, on Monday, August 8 at 9pm.