'I woke up one day and could hardly see.'
Ashton Kutcher has opened up about his battle with a rare disease that left him unable to see or talk clearly.
Three years ago, the actor was hit by health issues out of nowhere, after he woke up and couldn't see or hear clearly.
He had been afflicted by a rare form of vasculitis, a condition that occurs when the immune system attacks healthy blood vessels, causing them to inflame.
The 44-year-old - known for his roles in the likes of
Dude, Where's My Car?, The Butterfly Effect and
Two and a Half Men - chatted about his struggles with the disease on Paramount+ docuseries
The Checkup with Dr. David Agus.
"I woke up one day and was having vision issues [and] could hardly see," he said.
"[It] knocked out my hearing, which threw off my equilibrium, my balance and I couldn't walk. I had vasculitis, that you're very well aware of.
"There's a standard you become accustomed to in your life, like being able to see clearly. And then suddenly, you can't see."
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The cause of vasculitis is often unknown, but it can vary in its seriousness. It can range from a minor problem that just affects the skin, to a more serious illness that causes problems with organs like the heart or kidneys, according to the
NHS.
Kutcher continued: "Then you're like, 'Why are you not f***ing talking louder, 'cause I can't hear you?'
"You want to reclaim the health that you once had."
In August, he tweeted that he had "fully recovered" from the condition.
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During an appearance on National Geographic's
Running Wild with Bear Grylls, he revealed that it took him around a year to build his vision and hearing back up.
He added: "You don't really appreciate it until it's gone.
"Until you go, 'I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to see again, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to hear again, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to walk again.'
"[I'm] lucky to be alive."
