Jimmy Eat World is cancelling their upcoming festival appearances after its frontman was nearly blinded.
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Jim Adkins, the band's lead singer, announced Tuesday, Sept. 15, that he suffered a detached retina and underwent surgery.
The 50-year-old rocker said that the health scare began shortly before Jimmy Eat World was scheduled to perform at Warped Tour in Mexico City.
Jimmy Eat World Singer Suffers Health Scare
"Sunday, as we were preparing to play at Warped Tour in Mexico City, I noticed a shadow cloud creeping in on my vision," he wrote in the statement. "With some quick research, I knew I had to seek medical help immediately."
Adkins added: "After an exam, it was discovered that I had a detached retina and needed surgery ASAP. Per doctor's orders, attempting to do the show could have caused permanent damage. So, we had to make the tough decision to cancel our performance."
As Adkins pointed out, detached retinas are extremely time-sensitive and require immediate surgery. Without surgery, a detached retina can result in total blindness in as little as a few hours.
Every minute counts when your retina detaches. The separated tissue cannot receive oxygen and nutrients from the underlying blood vessels. The longer your retina stays detached, the lower your chances of recovering good vision, even after successful surgery.
Thankfully, it sounds like the Jimmy Eat World singer was able to remedy the issue quickly and is on the road to recovery.
Although he salvaged his vision, it came at the expense of a few festival appearances.
Adkins announced he is unable to play at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Ky., and Shaky Knees in Atlanta this week.
"We are disappointed to be missing you," the singer said. "Take care of yourselves. Listen to your body and we'll be rocking with you all again soon!"
Hundreds of Jimmy Eat World fans showed support for Adkins on social media and advised the singer to take his time to recover fully.
"Take it easy with that! It can affect your vision for life, and we need you swingin microphones into the next lifetime," an Instagram user wrote.
"Taking care of yourself is very punk rock," another replied.
