What is Love Is Blind star Madison's "blinding-eye condition"? Details explored

Love Is Blind season 9 premiered on October 1, 2025, with six new episodes, featuring a lineup of 32 Denver residents, who were determined to find love sight unseen. 

One of the singles hoping to find her partner was 28-year-old UX/UI designer Madison Maidenberg. She immediately caught the attention of viewers by speaking out about her rare health condition: a degenerative form of retinitis pigmentosa. 

In the very first episode of the series, Madison revealed her condition to hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey, saying:

“I have a blinding-eye condition, and there’s a good chance that I’m going to go blind. This experiment is so much more to me because it stimulates what my life could be like when I do lose my vision. I know what I need in a partner with my diagnosis.”

The Love Is Blind hopeful added that it was important for her to find that “correct person” who would not only be empathetic but also understanding.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), retinitis pigmentosa is a group of rare eye diseases that affects the retina.

It causes the cells in the retina to break down over time, causing vision loss. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the disease; however, vision aids and rehabilitation may help.

Love Is Blind star Madison explains her experience with retinitis pigmentosa

Madison was 21 when she first received her diagnosis. She has since worked with Foundation Fighting Blindness, a charity group that aims to raise money and spread awareness around blindness and sight loss.

Madison has also utilized her social media platform to share her experience, hoping to help others relate to her story.

On her Instagram account, she explained that retinitis pigmentosa impacted the “rods and cones” in her eyes, making it harder for her eyes to “intake light sensory.”

“If you can imagine your field of vision as a spotlight, in bright light situations, I have a pretty good field of vision, although far peripherals are a little bit hard to see,” she added.

The Love Is Blind season 9 alum explained that whenever she was present in a dimly-lit place, she struggled with her peripheral vision, as the “spotlight” narrowed.

Madison further mentioned that she had a “filter” over her vision at all times, which was similar to TV static.

Lastly, she mentioned that just because she did not use a white cane, her difficulties were not decreased. However, she was hopeful that she would not need one even later in her life.

How did Joe react to Madison’s eye disease?

In episode 2 of Love Is Blind, titled Love Me When I’m Blind?, Madison informed Joe, her strongest connection in the pods, about her “blinding-eye condition.”

Joe thanked her for being honest with him. That said, he stated that if something like that happened to his future wife, he would want to be the person who would look after her.

However, he assured Madison that her condition did not change the way he felt about her. 

Madison appreciated his support and confessed that he liked him. Joe reciprocated her feelings, and they ultimately got engaged in episode 3 of the series.

Although Joe admitted that Madison was not his physical type, he believed the attraction would grow.

However, they hit a rough patch in episodes 5 and 6, when, during a pool party with the other engaged couples, Joe got drunk, forcing Madison to reconsider pursuing a relationship with him. 

Stay tuned for more updates.