Michael Jordan’s appearance in Monaco caused great concern among fans and doctors as his eyes appeared abnormally yellow.
Speculation about the 61-year-old sports legend first surfaced in 2003, but concerns grew when the issue came to light in his 2020 biographical Netflix series The Last Dance.
During his recent performance in a home match in Monaco against Barcelona, fans noticed an even more pronounced yellow glow in his eyes
The icon has not publicly addressed the troubling color, leaving fans speculating about possible causes, including jaundice due to liver damage from alcohol abuse or increased melanin pigment on the surface of the eye.
And these theories are not unfounded, doctors told DailyMail.com.
Michael Jordan appeared in Monaco this week with strikingly yellow eyes, leading to speculation among fans that he could be dealing with potentially serious liver damage
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Bhavin Shah, a London-based optometrist, told DailyMail.com that the discolouration could be a harmless condition that becomes more common in darker-skinned people as they age.
He said, ‘I can’t tell you for sure unless I examine him, but the most common reason is a natural pigmentation on the conjunctiva, the front surface of the eye, (which) can give a yellow color.’
Jordan may have complexion-associated melanosis (CAM), also called ethnic melanosis. CAM usually affects the edge of the cornea (the clear part of the eye).
The pigmentation is flat and can spread over a large portion of the eye’s surface. The spots tend to grow as a person ages and affect both eyes equally, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Other doctors agree with this speculation.
Dr Talin Amadian, an optometrist in Los Angeles, told DailyMail.com: ‘There could be some kind of pigmentation on the surface of the eye, and it’s more prominent in people with darker skin.’
However, other doctors are not so sure that Jordan’s eye condition is benign.
In the 2001 photo, Jordan’s eyes have taken on yellow hues. Doctors told DailyMail.com that the cause is likely a harmless result of melanin pigment in the outer layer of the eye.
Jordan has remained tight-lipped about his alcohol use, except to reveal a recurring dream he had earlier in his career in which he was “a bad alcoholic and couldn’t stop drinking and making a fool of myself… I wake up from that dream in a sweat.”
Yellow eyes may indicate jaundice, a result of liver damage possibly caused by alcohol abuse.
The liver plays a crucial role in removing bilirubin from the body, a yellowish substance produced as part of the body’s normal digestive process.
When bilirubin builds up in the bloodstream, it causes a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
Dr Joel Kopelman, a New York plastic surgeon who regularly performs eye reconstruction surgeries, told DailyMail.com: ‘This is usually associated with liver disorders such as hepatitis, cirrhosis or bile duct obstructions.
‘It’s possible that this yellowing is related to a problem with his liver processing bilirubin, but it could also be due to other factors, such as certain medications or blood disorders.’
Jordan, in the 1992 photo, did not have yellow spots on his eyes like he does now
Jaundice usually involves a more uniform yellowing of the eye. However, racial melanosis causes pigmented spots on the clear covering of the white part of the eye, while other parts remain white.
And doctors point out that liver damage doesn’t stop at jaundice. It causes fatigue, weight loss, liver scarring and potentially life-threatening organ failure.
Dr. Amadian said: This has been in the public eye since the 2000s. If there was something of great significance that would cause this, other things would follow.
She added: ‘We can talk about gallstones, liver disease, alcohol and the way that’s processed.
“But since it’s been going on for so long and he has the resources to deal with whatever medical condition he has, any liver problem would have been treated long ago.”