WWE Legend John Cena diagnosed with rare eye disease 

WWE legend John Cena revealed that he has been diagnosed with a rare eye disease. The Last Real Champion has made a few appearances for WWE since his retirement in December last year.

He was the host for WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas and made an appearance at WWE Backlash to announce The John Cena Classic tournament. While he continues to juggle his professional commitments, he recently opened up about a concerning diagnosis.

In an interview with PEOPLE, John Cena mentioned that he experienced issues with his vision and eye health. The 17-time WWE World Champion initially brushed it off, assuming it was due to his age or extensive screen time, but a diagnosis revealed that he had a rare eye disease known as Demodex blepharitis.

“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. Diagnosed with Demodex blepharitis, which I didn’t even know existed,” he said.

Cena said that the diagnosis was simple, and after he started using FDA-approved prescription eye drops, his eye health improved.

“A regular eye checkup is just as important as taking care of your teeth or anything else. 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,” he added.

Demodex blepharitis (DB) is an eyelid disease caused by an infestation of Demodex mites, microscopic parasites that live in hair follicles, which are commonly found on humans.

The condition causes itchy eyes, puffy eyelids, and crusty flakes along the eyelashes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

John Cena doubles down on in-ring retirement

John Cena wrestled his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025, bowing out with a defeat to Gunther.

Since then, he has returned to take up the role of host for WrestleMania 42 and recently showed up at Backlash for a major announcement. Speaking to SHAK Wrestling, Cena talked about fresh talent coming up in WWE and why there haven’t been many young World Champions lately.

The Franchise Player talked about his lengthy run and mentioned how he and some of his peers had a run that was not typical of the business. He then talked about their careers being over before confirming that his chapter is also done.