Ashton Kutcher Says Rare Disease Left Him Unable To See Or Hear For Nearly A Year: 'Lucky To Be Alive'

Actor Ashton Kutcher revealed his harrowing struggle with a rare disorder that very nearly killed him and rendered him unable to see or hear clearly for almost an entire year.

Kutcher discussed the rare autoimmune disorder vasculitis during an appearance on National Geographic's Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge.

Kutcher credited the adversity with giving him strength and resilience after Grylls mentioned he'd never met "a strong person who's had an easy road."

See the clip in which they discussed Kutcher's condition below.

youtu.be

As Grylls and Kutcher embarked on one of the survivalist's famously challenging excursions, Kutcher discussed his experience with vasculitis, a condition that causes blood vessels to swell.

He explained:

“Like, two years ago, I had a weird, super-rare form of vasculitis that knocked out my vision, knocked out my hearing and knocked out all my equilibrium. It took me like a year to build it all back up."

He went on to add how much the experience made him appreciate his abilities once they returned.

"You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone, until you go, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to see again; I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to hear again; I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to walk again.’”

The condition often leads to thickened blood vessel walls, which restricts blood flow to vital organs and tissues—in Kutcher's case, his eyes and ears. Like many autoimmune diseases, the cause of the condition is unknown and it can be short- or long-lasting.

Kutcher also tweeted about the condition after conspiracy theorists began spreading rumors it was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

In response, people on Twitter sent an outpouring of support and good wishes to Kutcher.

Difficult as it was, Kutcher credited the experience with changing his perspective on life.

“The minute you start seeing your obstacles as things that are made for you to give you what you need, then life starts to get fun."

"You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.”

He also added that he's "lucky to be alive."