Ray Charles was a musical genius. If you don’t know who he is, you’re definitely missing out. He was born in Louisiana in 1930 and died in 2004.
During his life, he won numerous awards, including 12 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
His music touched so many people and continues to inspire new generations of musicians today. What you may not know is that Charles was born with a condition called glaucoma, which caused him to go blind by the time he was 7 years old.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss what glaucoma is and how did Ray Charles go blind. We’ll also explore how he was able to overcome this obstacle and become the incredible musician we all know and love.
How did Ray Charles go blind?
As we mentioned before, Charles was born with glaucoma. He started to lose his vision when he was just five years old. By the time he was seven, he was completely blind.
Charles’ father had died when he was an infant and his mother couldn’t afford to pay for medical treatment. There was no cure for glaucoma at the time and Charles had to learn to adapt to his new reality.
He wasn’t able to attend mainstream schools so he went to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. It was there that he learned Braille and how to play musical instruments. He also developed his unique singing style by mimicking other singers he heard on the radio.
Charles went on to have a hugely successful career despite his blindness. He released more than 60 albums and had many hit songs. He won 12 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Charles’ story is an inspiration to us all. He overcame a huge obstacle to become one of the most successful musicians of his time. His music continues to touch people’s lives and he will be remembered as a true pioneer in the world of popular music.
Who is Ray Charles?
Ray Charles was an American musician who was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia. He was a singer, songwriter, and pianist and was one of the first African-American musicians to cross over into the mainstream pop music world.
His style combined gospel, blues, jazz, and country music and he influenced many other artists with his soulful voice and emotive piano playing. Charles had a number of hit songs including “Georgia on My Mind”, “Hit the Road Jack”, and “I Can’t Stop Loving You”.
He won 12 Grammy Awards during his career and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Charles died on June 10, 2004 at the age of 73.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a condition that damages the optic nerve. This nerve is responsible for carrying visual information from your eye to your brain. When it’s damaged, you can lose vision.
There are two main types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type and usually has no symptoms. Closed-angle glaucoma happens when the iris (the colored part of your eye) blocks the drainage angle between the cornea and iris. This type can cause pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Glaucoma is often caused by increased pressure in your eye. This happens when the fluid in your eye doesn’t drain properly. The increased pressure can damage the optic nerve over time.
There are several risk factors for glaucoma, including age, family history, ethnicity, and diabetes. People with a family history of glaucoma are more likely to develop the condition. African Americans and Hispanics are also at a higher risk. And people with diabetes are more likely to get open-angle glaucoma.
Now that we know a little bit about glaucoma, let’s talk about how Ray Charles went blind.
Final words
Ray Charles was an American singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He was one of the pioneers of soul music and rhythm and blues. His unique style incorporated gospel, country, jazz and blues styles into his music. Charles died in 2004 at the age of 73, but his legacy lives on.
Ray Charles went blind because of glaucoma, but he never let that stop him from becoming one of the most famous musicians in history. We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how did Ray Charles go blind and the life and music of this incredible artist as much as we enjoyed writing about him.
