John Cena Diagnosed With Rare Eye Condition

John Cena is encouraging fans not to ignore unusual eye symptoms after recently learning he was dealing with a rare condition he had never even heard of before.

In a new interview with PEOPLE.com, the WWE legend and Hollywood star revealed that he initially dismissed ongoing irritation in his eyes as a normal part of aging. Cena explained that the symptoms gradually became more noticeable, but he still didn’t think they pointed to anything serious.

“I had a lot of redness and itchiness, and every once in a while, waking up with eye crusties and stuff. At the same time, given my age — I’m 49 now — my vision was going a little bit, so I just figured it was par for the course. But because my vision was going, I needed to see if I needed glasses or prescriptions.”

Cena admitted he delayed seeing a doctor because he convinced himself there were more harmless explanations behind the issues.

He believed the irritation was probably connected to “lights,” “spending way too much time on my screen,” or simply “old age.”

Eventually, Cena scheduled an eye exam and received a diagnosis of Demodex blepharitis, a condition caused by microscopic mites that affect the eyelids.

“Demodex blepharitis, which I didn’t even know existed.”

The former WWE Champion said the experience changed his perspective on routine eye care and hopes others will take symptoms seriously instead of brushing them aside.

“I recommend that everybody do the same. A regular eye checkup is just as important as taking care of your teeth or anything else,” he emphasized. “The examination was easy. It’s certainly part of a regular eye exam, and the diagnosis was simple. Now, I still need my readers, but I don’t have that redness, that itchiness and certainly not waking up with the crusties.”