McFly's Tom Fletcher rushed to hospital after suffering with painful symptoms of rare autoimmune eye condition

The star, who will celebrate his milestone 40th birthday later this year, took to Instagram to tell his fans that he was rushed to hospital earlier this week.

In an Instgram Stories post, he explained that he was suffering from a flare up due to an autoimmune condition that he uveitis, also known as iritis. The rare health issue causes inflammation inside a part of the eye, according to the NHS.

The condition should be treated as soon as possible when symptoms appear to avoid long-term complications such as vision loss and blindness, as stated by the NHS. It usually gets better quickly with treatment but can come back over time.

Symptoms of the condition include sensitivity to light, blurred vision and pain. Treatment can include medications to reduce the immune system surrounding the eye, light treatment, temporarily freezing part of the eye or surgery on the eye.

In Fletcher’s social media post, on Monday March 31, he included a photo of himself in which one side of his face could be seen drooping due to the inflammation surrounding his eye.

He wrote: "My autoimmune thing flared up out of nowhere last night (Sunday). Woke up feeling (and looking) like I'd been smashed in the fact! This is after it had calmed down and I could see again." He explained: "Not the day I had planned" and added that he was on medication for six weeks.

The star, who shares three children with his wife of 12 years Giovanna, said he went to the Accident and Emergency department at The Western Eye Hospital to receive treatment. He told fans: "Hate having to come here but so thankful it exists! The doctors and nurses have helped me out so many times now."

Fletcher said he now has to take eye drops every day for six weeks in an attempt to tackle the flare up. He last shared an update on his condition in 2023, just months after he was rushed to hospital due to similar symptoms. Speaking at the time, he said: "Sorry I've been quiet for a bit. I was wiped out with some sort of illness and in bed for a few days. I just got back on my feet yesterday and uveitis decided to kick me down again."