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Invited to a France 2 program, singer Gilbert Montagné returned to the circumstances of his disability. A medical error at birth would be the cause.
From its title The sunlights of the tropics, Gilbert Montagné has always remained a singer well appreciated by the French. During a recent broadcast, he confided in the origin of his blindness. Contrary to what one might think, he was not born that way.
Oxygen error at birth
During France 2’s “La Boîte à Secrets”, broadcast on October 21, the successful singer mentioned the origin of his disability: a medical error that occurred at birth in life-threatening circumstances.
Gilbert Montagné was born prematurely, on December 28, 1951, after 6 months of pregnancy, in the family apartment. His birth weight being only 950 grams, he was quickly placed in an incubator, then too oxygenated for a very premature baby:
“Like they didn’t know then [mesurer] the right dosage for me to live, they put too much in and it burned all the optic nerve tissue [la rétinopathie, NDLR].” explains the singer.
But far from resenting it, the artist knows that this decision, which cost him his sight, nevertheless allowed him to stay alive:
“But what a wonder they did, because if they hadn’t put enough in I wouldn’t be here to tell you all about it” continued the singer, known for his optimism.
Retinopathy, a disorder of very premature babies
The disorder suffered by Gilbert Montagné, retinopathy of prematurity, is indeed associated with extreme prematurity (births before 30 weeks). It is a condition of premature infants due to abnormal growth of small blood vessels at the back of the eye.
According to medical recommendations, in premature newborns on oxygen supplements, the oxygen level should indeed be monitored to use the lowest possible amount of oxygen using a pulse oximeter to avoid any complications. . A system that did not exist at that time.