"We recognize the United States' great presidents as
visionaries, but have some of our leaders had trouble seeing --
literally?" So starts a post on
MSNBC News. This Presidents' Day, the
Museum of Vision, a public service program of the
Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology,
takes a look at the vision problems of three of the best-known U.S.
presidents... Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Abraham "
Honest Abe" Lincoln had
strabismus,
also known as lazy-eye. You can see this in some photos or portraits of
the 16th president. Lincoln's left eye tended to roll upward,
especially when he was tired or excited. News reports of his fiery 1860
presidential election debates with Stephen Douglas describe Lincoln's
eye as "rolling wildly" as he spoke. His dominant right eye did most of
the work of seeing, especially for near work like reading."
Read more.
Several presidents have had trouble with eye "twitches" or "spasms"
or "rapid blinking," conditions that are more likely when a person is
under pressure (especially emotional stress) and/or exhausted or
sleep-deprived. Given the intense demands of the presidency, it's a
wonder these annoying conditions haven't been more common.
For more information on the interesting world of ophthalmic history, visit
www.museumofvision.org.
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