Peter Bergman, who played Jack Abbott in The Young and the Restless, abruptly ended his performance due to an unexpected medical ailment – a detached retina in his left eye. While traveling to California’s central coast with his family, he saw something strange in the corner of his vision one day.
As the evening proceeded, he became aware that a dark curtain was rapidly cutting off his vision in that eye. This pushed him to seek medical attention and take action right away.
The actor described the event as frightening, especially given how unexpected it was. He could not detect any preceding signs or symptoms that would have alerted him to this illness.
With no time to waste, Bergman sought the assistance of an ophthalmologist, who recognized the problem and performed emergency surgery to fix a retinal detachment. He is happy that this was addressed swiftly and adequately now that he is on the mend and recovering from his successful surgery.
When Bergman awoke the following day, he realized something was dreadfully wrong. His sister got him an appointment with a San Luis Obispo ophthalmologist, who diagnosed him with a detached retina.
The doctor recommended that he have emergency surgery in his hometown as soon as possible. Thankfully, his wife Mariellen knew of a highly regarded physician in Los Angeles who had a same-day vacancy.
Knowing that going through this operation would render Bergman unable to work for some time, he made care to notify his Y&R supervisors of the situation, and appropriate preparations were taken. The rehabilitation process was exceptionally challenging, requiring him to lie flat on his back for 50 out of every 60 minutes over seven days.
Bergman resorted to watching television with a device made by Mariellen that allowed him to do so without having to move much; nonetheless, things like exercising and reading books were impossible owing to the nature of his healing process, which felt like it lasted an eternity.
Mishael Morgan (Amanda), who had undergone the same procedure the previous spring, was a significant source of support for Bergman during his experience. He gleaned as much knowledge as possible from her and regarded her as a valuable resource.
Emmy-winning Jack looks forward to continuing his work on Y&R and is relieved that his medical issue was satisfactorily managed. He described it as an awe-inspiring excursion that reminded us of how valuable sight is and how we should never take it for granted.
