Mega-pastor Rick Warren sidelined by eye injury; seeks prayers for his sight

Rick Warren recovering from eye injury

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Pastor Rick Warren was briefly hospitalized due to an eye-injury that he suffered while gardening at home.

Warren’s spokesman Larry Ross said the sap of a firestick plant got into Warren’s eyes when he wiped his brow while gardening. The sap can cause temporary blindness, although Ross said Warren can see.

The 56-year-old pastor was treated overnight and released Tuesday from Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. On Thursday, he sent a message to his Twitter followers asking for their prayers.

“My eyes were severely burned,” Warren wrote. “Excruciating pain.”

He is expected to make a full recovery.

Warren is the author of the multimillion-selling book “Purpose Driven Life,” and founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest in Orange County.