The 93-year-old president of Zimbabwe is having eye problems. So says his spokesman, George Charamba, who tells local media that he feels “very, very pained” when he hears reports that Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, is falling asleep during conferences. 
 
 “At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the president cannot suffer bright lights If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting,” Charamba reportedly told CapiTalk, a radio station in Harare, in an interview about Mugabe’s recent medical trip to Singapore. 
 
 According to the state-owned daily newspaper The Herald, the spokesman compared Mugabe’s condition to eye troubles suffered by Nelson Mandela. The former South African president was reported to have been highly sensitive to flashlight. “In the case of Mandela, if you remember, you were not allowed to even use flashes whenever he was in the room,” Charamba said. “That is what happens at 93, and Mandela, I do not think lived as long as the president did. Let us disabuse ourselves.” Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. 
 
 In any case, the photographic evidence that shows Mugabe sleeping through conferences in Africa and across the world are nothing new. Some date back more than a decade, to when Mugabe would have been in his early 80s. 
 
 Here he is closing his eyes during the Africa Union meeting in Sirte, Libya, in July 2005. 
 
 At the Africa Union meeting in Sirte, Libya, in July 2005. (Reuters/Radu Sigheti) 
 
 Later that year, he looked to be napping during the opening ceremony of the Africa-France summit in Bamako, Mali. (To his left is Omar Bongo, then-president of Gabon, who also seems to have had trouble keeping his eyes open during the meeting.) 
 
 Bongo and Mugabe at the Africa-France summit in Bamako, Mali, in December 2005. (Reuters/Luc Gnago) 
 
 Mugabe’s closed eyes continued to be a familiar sight to photographers in subsequent years. 
 
 At a plenary session for the Africa-EU Summit in Tripoli, Libya, in November 2010. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) 
 
 Mugabe’s recent health trips have been a source of concern in Zimbabwe, which is preparing for elections next year in which Mugabe is expected to run. Critics have questioned Mugabe’s fitness to rule the southern Africa nation, especially at a time when the country’s economy is in free-fall, with Zimbabweans desperate for cash sleeping outside banks. But Mugabe refutes the notion that his country is a fragile state, and refers to Zimbabwe as “one of the most highly developed countries in Africa.” 
 
 Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption Robert Mugabe's eyes are sensitive to bright lights, his spokesman said 
 
 Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is not asleep when he closes his eyes for long periods during meetings but is resting his eyes, his spokesman says. 
 
 "The president cannot suffer bright lights," George Charamba was quoted as saying by the state-run Herald newspaper. 
 
 Mr Mugabe, 93, has been seen apparently sleeping at several events, leading to speculation about his fitness. 
 
 He intends to stand in presidential elections next year. 
 
 The president is currently receiving specialised medical treatment for his eyes in Singapore. 
 
 Africa Live: More on this and other stories 
 
 Mr Mugabe most recently appeared to fall asleep during a discussion panel about "fragile states" at a World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa earlier this month. 
 
 There he stated that Zimbabwe was 'one of the most developed countries in Africa' 
 
 "I feel like a failure when there is this reading that the president is sleeping in conferences - no," Mr Charamba said. 
 
 He then compared Mr Mugabe to the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, whose eyes were affected by years of working in a limestone quarry while imprisoned on Robben Island. 
 
 "You were not allowed to even use flashes whenever he was in the room," Mr Charamba said.
– Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has become well-known for appearing to sleep through conferences and meetings, but his spokesperson insists the 93-year-old is not actually asleep when he's pictured in repose. "At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the president cannot suffer bright lights," the rep explained to a local radio station, per Quartz. "If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting." The aide noted that Nelson Mandela suffered from a similar problem and that photographers were not allowed to use camera flashes around him. Quartz has a series of photographs showing Mugabe "not sleeping" that date back more than a decade. Per the BBC, Mugabe is reportedly getting medical treatment for his eyes in Singapore. (Mugabe's wife says he should still lead the country even after he's dead.)