101-year-old President Nelson reports decline in vision, Apostle says

President Russell M. Nelson, the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the oldest man ever to head the faith, is grappling with a new health setback: fading vision.

According to T he Salt Lake Tribune, fellow apostle Quentin L. Cook told members at a stake conference in northern Kentucky earlier this month that Nelson had confided to his fellow apostles, “I just can’t see anymore.” Cook, speaking from a recording verified by the Tribune, added that Nelson gave permission for them to share that reality with church members.

Despite the impairment, Cook emphasized that vision loss was “the only thing he can’t do.”

Nelson, who turned 101 earlier this month, has remained active in leading the 17.5 million-member global church but has faced a series of age-related health challenges. He began using a walker and sometimes a wheelchair in 2023 after balance issues emerged, and later that year suffered a back injury from a fall, preventing him from attending General Conference in person.

The Tribune reported that a church spokesperson, when asked for comment, pointed to remarks Nelson made during the April 2025 General Conference, when he acknowledged his eyes “continue to get older.”

It remains unclear whether the church president will appear in person at the upcoming October General Conference, set for Oct. 4–5 in Salt Lake City. In recent years, Nelson has alternated between live appearances at the Conference Center and delivering addresses through prerecorded videos.

Nelson, a former heart surgeon who became president of the faith in 2018, has guided the church through sweeping changes, including adjustments to temple rituals and increased emphasis on peacemaking.

Even at 101, Nelson continues to hold the title of “prophet, seer, and revelator” in the faith — though, as he recently acknowledged, seership has become more symbolic than literal.