'Today' Star Savannah Guthrie Posts Update on Her Eye Following Cataract Surgery

From Good Housekeeping

Update, July 21, 2020, 1:18 p.m. ET:

You may have noticed that Savannah Guthrie has been missing from the Today show the last few days. That's because Savannah recently had cataract surgery on her right eye.

Last year, Savannah sustained an injury to her eye when her son, Charley, accidentally poked her with a toy train. In December, she had retinal detachment surgery. According to Today.com, she needed the latest procedure to help fix a persistent blurry spot on her eye.

On Instagram, Savannah shared that her surgery was a "success" and that she would be back soon. "See you later this week on TODAY!" she wrote. "And when I say 'see you' - I really mean it. ❤️"

Original, December 11, 2019 (with additional updates):

From December 11 to January 3, Today show fans didn't see Savannah Guthrie on the morning program. Instead, Savannah's co-stars manned the desk and reported on the latest headlines every A.M. This had many people wondering: Where was Savannah Guthrie?

As Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin announced on the first day of her absence, Savannah had to have eye surgery for the retina in her right eye. “She’d had some laser treatments, so now she’s actually going through the surgery," Hoda explained. "And she’s going to keep us posted, so we wish for her a very speedy recovery.”

Specifically, Today.com reports that Savannah had retinal detachment surgery. According to Mayo Clinic, it can take several months for your vision to improve after having the surgery and another procedure may be necessary. Dr. Annie Negrin, a board-certified ophthalmologist, explained on the NBC program that the surgery may require a patient to be face down at all times for up to three weeks.

Doctors deemed Savannah's surgery necessary after she accidentally injured her retina in November while playing with her 3-year-old son, Charley. Near Thanksgiving, Savannah revealed on the show that Charley unintentionally hit her eye with a sharp part of a toy train.

Initially, Savannah's doctors were hoping to avoid surgery and tried to use laster treatments for her torn retina. But after five laser treatments, Savannah ended up needing the procedure after all. About a day after the toy train incident, Savannah claimed that she lost vision in her right eye. She missed two days on the show immediately following the accident.

Luckily she is doing much better today. On Instagram, she posted two "graphic" images of her retina — one when it was torn, and the other after the reattachment surgery.

"I’m so grateful to the careful doctors who operated on me and very hopeful about getting most of my vision back eventually!!" she wrote in the caption.

On Monday, she returned to the Today show and made it clear that she's happy to be back. "When I say 'good to see you,' I really mean it," Savannah told Hoda.

Later on, Savannah gave Today.com the latest on her recovery. "I see the year 2020 but not 20/20 just yet. My vision is blurry but will ultimately be mostly back to normal. I need a new prescription when my vision settles down."

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