There's a Medical Explanation for the Scary-Looking Pictures of Joe Biden's Eye from Tuesday's Big Speech

You might not have noticed that Vice President Joe Biden has recently been wearing glasses until watching Tuesday's State of the Union address. In fact, as he sat behind President Barack Obama as he spoke to the country, Biden's spectacles were barely noticeable.

But why is the vice president wearing them in the first place? It turns out Biden scratched his cornea with a contact lens so he is giving his eyes a bit of a rest from them. When you take a close look, his eye is rather bloodshot and during Obama's speech it seemed difficult for Biden to keep it fully open.

Here's a picture from Monday that captures the eye:

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden delivers remarks following a roundtable discussion with law enforcement officials to discuss gun safety on February 11, 2013 at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)

Here are more photos of Biden and the spectacles he has been wearing the last few days:

Biden isn't the first high profile official to have his glasses noticed lately. Earlier this year, the noticeable Fresnel prism on the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's glasses suggested she might be suffering from a bout of double vision after her concussion late last year.