Direct answer: Tony Gonzalez did not lose his eyesight or permanently damaged eyes. The notable eye-related incident in his history is associated with Bell’s palsy, a temporary facial nerve condition that can affect blinking and eye closure. He publicly described a period when his eye would not close due to facial paralysis, which required tape to keep the eyelid closed during sleep, and he recovered over time. This is the event most commonly referenced when people ask about “Tony Gonzalez eyes.”

Details and context:

• Bell’s palsy episode: In the 2000s-era reporting, Gonzalez described experiencing facial weakness and an inability to close one eye, consistent with Bell’s palsy or similar facial nerve palsy. He described needing to tape his eye shut at night during the recovery period. This episode was temporary and did not indicate permanent eye loss or vision impairment.

• Notable unrelated eye incidents: There are reports of a different on-field collision earlier in his career (in 2000) with a photographer that led to a brain tumor discovery for the photographer, but that event did not involve Gonzalez’s eyes being lost or permanently damaged. The photographer’s medical findings were about the photographer, not Gonzalez’s eyes.

If you want, I can pull up more sources or provide a timeline of Tony Gonzalez’s eye-related health mentions across interviews and articles to give a fuller picture.