Emmanuel Macron made headlines on Tuesday for his appearance at the Davos summit, with spectators commenting on a surprising fashion choice
The French president spoke at the forum indoors, wearing blue aviator sunglasses.
The accessory left people baffled, with some people taking to social media to describe Mr Macron as "kéké", French slang for ‘show-off’. Others jested that he was a “cyborg”, resembling Tom Cruise who played a navy fighter pilot in the film Top Gun.
So why was Mr Macron wearing sunglasses?
Days earlier, the French president revealed that he had an eye condition.
On Thursday, Mr Macron had a red, puffy eye while giving a speech to France’s armed forces. He told the audience that this was “completely harmless”.
“Please pardon the unsightly appearance of my eye,” Mr Macron said. “It is, of course, something completely harmless.”
He said that the eye condition was "totally benign" and "completely insignificant".
"Simply see an unintentional reference to the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ ... For those who catch the reference, it is a sign of determination,” he said, reportedly alluding to the name of a song by rock band Survivor.
According to French media, Macron may have a sub-conjunctival haemorrhage, which is the bursting of a blood vessel in the protective tissue covering the eye.
This can occur when someone sneezes or coughs intensely, or if they poke or rub their eye. People with diabetes and high blood pressure may be more at risk of experiencing it.
A sub-conjunctival haemorrhage is harmless, usually painless and does not affect vision or cause permanent injury. It usually resolves without treatment within a fortnight.
A medical doctor and media commentator Jimmy Mohamed told French broadcaster RTL said that Mr Macron "opted for this style for aesthetic reasons, because he's a public figure,"
"Some people might think he's ill, so to avoid being photographed in that state, he decided to wear sunglasses. The glasses protect his image, but not really his eye."
