Lawrence Jones recently had to take a break from Fox & Friends to undergo eye surgery. Now, he’s opened up about the process, including some issues he’s faced. However, he also shared the reason he wanted to tell his story.

Lawrence Jones Officially Became A Permanent Co-Host On Fox & Friends Around 2023

Jones is a political commentator known for co-hosting Fox & Friends for the Fox News Channel, having been part of the network since around 2018. Prior to this, he served as the host of Lawrence Jones Cross Country.

Aside from his work with broadcast journalism, the Texas native also served as an editor-in-chief for the Campus Reform website. He is also known for hosting The Lawrence Jones Show on TheBlaze Radio Network.

Back in late January, Jones shared that he would be stepping away from the Fox morning series to undergo eye surgery. This followed vision problems that proved to be more serious than he originally thought.

As Jones explained, he always wore glasses or contacts. He also claimed that his vision is better with his left eye over his right eye. Thanks to this, he didn’t suspect his eye issues were a problem until a friend’s wife suggested going to a specialist.

According to Jones, he went to see Dr. Donald D’Amico, who serves as ophthalmologist-in-chief at New York Presbyterian Hospital. This eventually led to an appointment lasting three hours with four doctors. Following this, Jones was diagnosed with a detached retina, determined by a small tear.

This condition cuts the eye off from its blood supply. In more serious cases, it can cause permanent vision loss.

Speaking with USA Today, Jones shared, “Essentially, I was going blind in one eye by the day.” He also noted that the condition was found to be genetic.

That said, while other members of his family have had vision issues, he claimed his condition reached a greater extent than any known in his family. Reportedly, the condition couldn’t be prevented. He found some relief in this, noting, “I thought I had missed something.”

Jones, Who Was Awake For Most Of The Surgery, Detailed His Recovery Process

Jones was awake during most of the surgery, which lasted around an hour and a half. He shared, “There was actually one point when they first started the surgery, because obviously, the reporter in me, I was interviewing the doctor in the middle of the surgery.”

The journalist noted that this threw off the doctor. He continued, “And he was like, ‘Wait … You’re supposed to be going under!’”

The journalist shared that he was told that he could go back to work within a few days, but he ended up spending three weeks away from Fox & Friends. He shared that the recovery process was painful. Sensitive to light, he didn’t leave the house without sunglasses and kept drapes closed while inside.

By the third week, however, Jones returned to the show. As the outlet noted, he explained, “There’s still some swelling. But I thought it was important to not just let the visual appearance stop me from getting back to the job, even though people have to watch me every single day when one eye open completely and the other one half open.”

Since his return to the show, Jones hoped that viewers would see his daily progress while on the air. He shared that he hoped his story would inspire people with vision issues to see specialists. As he shared, “I would suggest that anybody, if you have any type of vision issues, to actually go to a doctor that is not just there to do the nuts and bolts.”