Something was a little off about Whoopi Goldberg‘s appearance during this morning’s episode of The View. After years of sporting eyeglasses, the longtime moderator debuted a new glasses-free look — and took the opportunity to promote her medical journey on national television.
While avid viewers of the show may have noticed the slight change in her everyday style right away, Goldberg revealed within the second Hot Topics segment that she underwent an eye operation last weekend, making it so she no longer needs her glasses.
“What most viewers don’t know is that I can’t see anything without these,” Sunny Hostin said as she put on her own pair of glasses. “But I don’t wear them on air because I’m too vain. Whoopi does not have her glasses on today.”
Goldberg then explained that doctors replaced the lens within her eye with one that replicates her eyeglasses lens. While she only had one eye done — seeing as the other has a cataract — the EGOT actress said her sight has become significantly better since two weeks ago, when she couldn’t even read the teleprompter.
“This is something they’ve been doing for a while and people don’t know about it,” Goldberg said, before telling viewers that insurance will cover the surgery as long as they pay for the lens.
She added, “If you’re having any issues with your eyes, please go get them checked. Because the bionic times have arrived.”
When Hostin — who said she’s “a little bit of a punk” who’s “afraid of the pain” — asked Goldberg if the operation hurt, Ana Navarro fired back, “Girl, you’ve had a lot of things done that hurt a lot more than eyeballs.”
The co-host joked, “I have,” as she pushed her chest up, playfully referencing her recent breast reduction surgery.
Meanwhile, Goldberg pointed out that she’s been wearing glasses for “almost 28 years.”
“If you’re over 28, you know what I looked like before when I was wearing sunglasses or cool glasses because they were cool,” she said. “If you’re under 28, you don’t know that there was a time that I didn’t have glasses and now this is what I look like. And it’s not so bad.”
The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.