Elton's got new eyes

Sir Elton John's trademark spectacles are about to disappear.

The singer is to undergo laser eye surgery which will mean he never has to wear any of his eccentric glasses again.

The multi-millionaire singer reveals in a TV interview tonight that he is having "the operation" in February.

The 55-year-old says that after half a century of wearing glasses, he has had enough of never being able to find them and never being able to see correctly through them.

Sir Elton revealed in 2000 that he owned more than 4,000 pairs of glasses, but added that he has bought 20,000 pairs over the years.

Each pair he currently owns has the same prescription lenses. In 2000 he said that he hadn't had his eyes tested for six years.

Sir Elton - real name Reggie Dwight - tells Frank Skinner tonight that when he first wore glasses, "you went to the optician's and you had two or three to choose from".

He adds: "Tortoiseshell or the round ones John Lennon used to wear. But now you can get everything, in fact, I'm having the operation soon."

He goes on: "I'm having an operation in February. I'm so fed up with 'Where are they?' I can't see anything, so why wait?"

Skinner then jokes: "So you won't need them anymore? I sense another auction coming up, is that right?" To which Elton nods: "Oh yes, yeah."

Sir Elton's outrageous spectacles have become a part of his act. He has worn ones with screen wipers, flashing lights, and sunvisors as well as glasses with frames and lenses in every conceivable shape and colour.

He has named records after them, themed parties after them, brought entire suitcases of them home from every trip to the US and takes 30 pairs with him on tour.

There was even a West End comedy called Elton John's Glasses where the plot surrounded Watford losing the 1984 FA Cup final when the goalkeeper is blinded by a flash of sunlight reflected on Watford chairman Elton's spectacles.

Talking about how he began the trend, Elton says: "When I went out to America I went to this place, Optic Boutique on Sunset Boulevard, and they had these incredible glasses, like plastic ones in the shape of stars, apples and everything and I just went 'Oh my God'.

He adds: "And they started making glasses for me and they made the famous ones that said 'Elton' and I had to have a battery ... it was like a Russian transistor radio.

"It was so heavy I used to have to sing like that [he pulls his glasses down to the end of his nose].

"Glasses were revolutionised by Optic Boutique and probably me, in particular, because I wore them all."