Conservative commentator Glenn Beck shocked an audience this week, when he announced that his doctor recently told him that he might be going blind within a year. During his "American Revival" Tour, Beck announced that he has macular dystrophy, a disease that can cause deterioration of one's eyesight over time.

"A couple of weeks ago, I went to the doctor because of my eyes, I can't focus my eyes. ...He did all kinds of tests and he said, 'You have macular dystrophy. ...You could go blind in the next year. Or, you might not.' I said, Did you just charge me a $1,000 for knowing what I knew my whole life?"

What was most interesting about Beck's surprising announcement is that he seemed to use his alleged condition as an opportunity to challenge President Barack Obama's health care plan.

"I went to the best doctor I could find, while I could still go to the best doctor I can find," Beck added.

One of the worst feelings in the world is when something terrible happens to someone you can't stand. I will never cease to admit that I've always felt that Glenn Beck's actions and words are destructive to millions of Americans everywhere. All the while, I hate the idea of anyone having to go through the trauma of losing their eyesight. The lack of sympathy Beck may feel from the American public, however, will result from the fact that he has engaged in such malicious attacks on his political enemies. One good example was when he joked about Malia Obama's lack of intelligence. Karma can be a funny thing, and when you spend your life working hard to hurt other people, you sometimes find that the lack of sympathy you receive for your own pain represents political chickens coming home to roost.

There are obviously at least a couple of ways to consider this information: First, it could be a hoax or an exaggeration. This isn't out of the question, given that Fox News has positioned its hosts to make one shocking statement after another in order to bring attention to their work, especially as the midterm elections get closer - the only exception is Sean Hannity, who's been relatively quiet so far this year. You'll notice that Hannity is also not getting the same attention as Bill O'Reilly, Beck or Rush Limbaugh at this time, so his silence is likely going to cost him financially.

The second possibility is that Beck is telling the truth and may actually lose his eyesight. At the same time, he may have been using a personal story to accentuate the message he was sharing with his audience. That can be understood, and such tactics are used by both the right and the left.

One thing that remains true is that Beck has now set a ticking clock on top of his head. Americans are going to check on him this time next year to see if anything has changed with his eyesight. They are going to see if he's squinting more, wearing sunglasses or even talking about his condition. If it turns out that he is "miraculously healed," then that will certainly be another strike against his credibility.

But to the extent that Beck can be taken at his word, I am very sorry to hear about what he's going through. No one deserves to suffer in this way. Perhaps the empathy that others show toward Beck's personal challenges will inspire him to have a bit more compassion himself.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.