Elton John says he's dealing with loss of eyesight

Elton John says he struggled to watch his new musical because he has lost his eyesight after contracting an infection.

The music superstar attended the opening night of The Devil Wears Prada in London on Sunday and told the audience that "I haven't been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight."

"So it's hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight," he said.

John, 77, disclosed in September that an infection had left him "with only limited vision in one eye." He wrote on Instagram that "I am healing, but it's an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye."

John wrote the score for the stage musical based on the 2006 movie about a young journalist navigating the glamour and egos of a glossy fashion magazine.

During his comments, John thanked his husband, Toronto native David Furnish, for being his "rock." He and Furnish have two sons, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11.

John's year has included a Gershwin Prize for Popular Song along with longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, as well as an Emmy win in September for Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. The latter accolade put him in select company as a member of the "EGOT" club, a performer who has won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.

Also in September, he was in Toronto for the premiere of the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, which looks back on a decades-long career marked by dozens of hits including Your Song, Daniel, Rocket Man and Candle in the Wind, as well as battles with addiction and the tabloids.

He said his condition was keeping him out of the studio where he had been working on a new album.

"It's been a while since I've done anything," he said. "There's hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but it's, I'm kind of stuck at the moment."

The production at London's Dominion Theatre stars Vanessa Williams as the fearsome editor Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep in the film.

Sunday's gala, a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, was attended by celebrities and fashion-industry figures including designer Donatella Versace and former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the rumoured inspiration for the Priestly character.

Wintour described the musical as "entertaining."