LeVar Burton Recovers From Hip Surgery

The Star Trek actor, now 69, is recovering after a February hip replacement and has described years of pain tied to wearing the Star Trek VISOR.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Romance

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a metal headpiece and wooden cane resting on a stool against a cream wall, in muted earthy tones. — Actor LeVar Burton is recovering from a February hip replacement and says years of wearing the Star Trek VISOR caused daily headaches. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

LeVar Burton, 69, is recovering from a hip replacement performed in February, and was photographed walking with a cane in Paris about four months later. The Star Trek: The Next Generation star has also said the redesigned VISOR he wore as Geordi La Forge left him with daily headaches for around six years.

Why it matters

Burton's account of the VISOR's weight and screw-tightened flanges offers a firsthand look at the physical strain of wearing prosthetic character equipment on set. For readers in the United States, it is a reminder that long-running television productions can carry lasting health effects for performers.

The actor's hip replacement took place four months before the Paris photographs, and the headaches he described persisted for around six years. The extraction does not state how many productions or episodes the redesigned VISOR was used on.

The players

LeVar Burton

An American actor and television host best known for playing Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and for hosting the children's program Reading Rainbow.

The details

Burton said the VISOR was redesigned during the show's second season, becoming heavier than the original and attached with screws that tightened its fittings. He said the flanges pressed into his temples when tightened, and that headaches began after fifteen or twenty minutes of wear. He and his wife, Stephanie Cozard Burton, celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary in Paris, where he walked with a cane.

1988: LeVar Burton and Stephanie Cozard Burton first meet.
1992: The couple marries; their daughter Mica is born two years later.
Second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation: The VISOR is redesigned.
February 2026: Burton undergoes a hip replacement.
2026: Burton is photographed walking with a cane in Paris.

Track Record

The redesigned VISOR was introduced in the show's second season, and Burton's later comments place its physical costs alongside the production history of the series. Accounts of actors' on-set injuries from long-running sci-fi productions form the wider pattern this disclosure joins.

For viewers who rewatch Star Trek: The Next Generation, the account adds context to the character's look on screen. The story does not indicate any change to how the series or its episodes are available to stream or purchase.

The takeaway

Burton's experience shows that equipment worn for long periods on a set can cause lasting pain well after filming ends. His willingness to describe the headaches openly offers readers a clear picture of what performers sometimes endure off camera.