Los Angeles:
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has had laser eye surgery to save his failing vision.
The legendary rocker has survived years of drug and alcohol abuse, and even a fractured skull after he fell out of a tree in Fiji in 2006, but had the operation to reshape his cornea so he doesn't need to wear spectacles anymore.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "He's music's ultimate survivor but not even the seemingly immortal Keith Richards can stop the march of time. It was a harmless, quick procedure and he's very happy with the results."
The eye operation is thought to have taken around 15 minutes, and was performed at a London clinic. After the operation Keith, 68, is said to have worn an eye patch making him look reminiscent of his Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Teague.
While Keith has toned down his notorious hedonistic lifestyle, quitting hard drugs over 10 years ago, but he still enjoys a drink, and insists he isn't always like people make him out to be.
The Honky Tonk Woman hitmaker - who is married to Patti Hansen -said: "People always like you cut and dried - 'Oh, he's a maniac.' And I can be, when I have the time for it, but when I'm at home I do as I'm told. 'Yes darling, no darling', like any other guy."
He also wrote in his autobiography how he thinks he has survived so long because he has always been good at self control with drinking and drugs.
He wrote: "I was very meticulous about how much I took. I'd never put more in to get a little higher. Maybe that's a measure of control and maybe I'm rare in that respect."
The legendary rocker has survived years of drug and alcohol abuse, and even a fractured skull after he fell out of a tree in Fiji in 2006, but had the operation to reshape his cornea so he doesn't need to wear spectacles anymore.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "He's music's ultimate survivor but not even the seemingly immortal Keith Richards can stop the march of time. It was a harmless, quick procedure and he's very happy with the results."
The eye operation is thought to have taken around 15 minutes, and was performed at a London clinic. After the operation Keith, 68, is said to have worn an eye patch making him look reminiscent of his Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Teague.
While Keith has toned down his notorious hedonistic lifestyle, quitting hard drugs over 10 years ago, but he still enjoys a drink, and insists he isn't always like people make him out to be.
The Honky Tonk Woman hitmaker - who is married to Patti Hansen -said: "People always like you cut and dried - 'Oh, he's a maniac.' And I can be, when I have the time for it, but when I'm at home I do as I'm told. 'Yes darling, no darling', like any other guy."
He also wrote in his autobiography how he thinks he has survived so long because he has always been good at self control with drinking and drugs.
He wrote: "I was very meticulous about how much I took. I'd never put more in to get a little higher. Maybe that's a measure of control and maybe I'm rare in that respect."
