Savannah Guthrie Says Eyesight Is 'Dramatically Better' After Third Eye Surgery

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Savannah Guthrie is making progress on her long road to recovering her full eyesight.

Almost 18 months after she first experienced vision loss in one eye, after her then 2-year-old son Charley threw a toy train in her direction, the Today show anchor, 49, says there's been much improvement, following her third eye surgery.

"My eye is good. The short answer is that it's good, and I think I've had my last surgery. I really do," Guthrie tells PEOPLE in its new issue, on stands Friday. "And I'm seeing well, and I just actually got a prescription for eyeglasses, which I haven't been able to wear [yet]. So I'm super excited to wear glasses. And I kind of can't believe that this all took so long, but honestly since the surgery I had last summer after the pandemic, my eyesight's been dramatically better."

Guthrie, who is mom to daughter Vale, 6, and son Charley, 4, with husband Michael Feldman, underwent surgery to re-attach the retina in her eye back in November 2019, shortly after the accident left her with blurry vision.

But recovery was slow, and by July 2020, she had developed cataracts.

Savannah Guthrie Instagram

"Apparently after you have that retina reattachment surgery, it's very common to get cataracts, so that happened to me," she told fans at the time. "I have all kinds of things going on where it's kind of distorted and then it's got a wavy thing and now I have this cataract which is a big blurry spot," said Guthrie. "Lots of people have had cataract surgery or their parents have had cataract surgery. ... It's very common in the elderly, but it happens if you have this retina detachment surgery. Once they remove that blur, I think it will be a lot better."

In April 2021, she went in for what she called "one last teeny tine eye surgery" to put her "back in business."

And despite the months-long ordeal, Guthrie says she kept the train that caused it all.

Charley and his toy train

"I actually still have that train that my little boy threw. It's hilarious," she says. "Just yesterday we were making dinner and I look over and they have all the toys out and there it is the train, which my daughter calls 'the weapon.' So my little boy does not like that. He said 'she called it the weapon,' and started to cry. I'm like, 'It's not the weapon. It's just a train.' "

And mom has no hard feelings towards Charley. "Honestly, I should have thrown it in the trash, but he likes that train," she says. "Besides, he was only two. He [didn't] know."

Listen to more of PEOPLE's interview with Savannah Guthrie below on our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.