A Place In The Sun's Jean Johansson talks about 'whole new world' after being diagnosed with health condition

A Place In The Sun's Jean Johansson has revealed she's been diagnosed with presbyopia.

The condition that causes a gradual loss of the eyes' ability to focus on things which are close by. Announcing her health issue, the 42-year-old presenter admitted she'd ignored signs of her deteriorating eyesight for years but faced the truth when she made an appointment at the opticians and went for an eye test.

She’s now wearing glasses to help with the issue, which she says has been “life-changing." She said: "I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long to admit I needed glasses," adding that it was “probably” due to her reluctance to accept the ageing process. She now says: “I’ve accepted that I'm getting older and my vision deteriorating is part of that.”

She's embracing her new look and enjoying being able to see clearly, saying she’s pleased she no longer has to squint when reading scripts or using her phone. calling it “a whole new world”. Writing in her Sunday Mail column, she joked: "I'm [also] no longer stealing my mum's glasses to read a menu in a restaurant."

The NHS describes presbyopia as “age-related loss of reading vision”. The Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation explains: “The natural lens, which is the flexible element of focus in the eye, enables most young people to see clearly in the distance and up close. Flexibility of the natural lens diminishes with age, and by the mid-forties, even people who have never previously needed spectacles start to need reading glasses.”

Now she understands the cause of her vision problems, Johansson is urging others to get their eyes tested if they're experiencing similar issues or have any concerns about their eyes, according to the Express. She’s also partnered with Specsavers. The TV star is known for hosting A Place In The Sun and also Key to a Fortune, and she also has more Christmas and Hogmanay shows in the pipeline.