Ronald Reagan, his eyesight and contact lenses
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
He was so nearsighted that – as a college football player, his vision was limited to the square yard of turf occupied by the opposing team’s guard. His vision disqualified him from serving in combat units in World War II.
As a child, Reagan would have to sit in the front row in class to see, which embarrassed him. In sports, Reagan sometimes got hit in the head with the ball he could not see. It was only at age 9 or 10 that a visiting nurse made the diagnosis. Reagan later said that when he got glasses, he was surprised to discover that trees had leaves and that butterflies existed – neither of which he had ever been able to see.
Later in life, Reagan wore contact lenses. When delivering a speech he would remove one lens so he could read his notes and leave one lens in so he could see the audience. Thus, for those around Reagan it was common practice to see him re-inserting a contact lens after speaking.
Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan sign the INF (nuclear) Treaty. 8th Dec 1987 – hopefully with contact lenses in
Pneumonia in 1945 – caused him to lose 17 pounds. It is not clear whether antibiotics – still very scarce in 1945 — were used.
Femur fracture – Reagan fractured a femur in 1949. A “serious fracture,” it may have resulted from falling off a horse.
Prostate stones – after a series of urinary tract infections, Reagan had prostate stones surgically removed in 1966. For many years afterwards Reagan had regular check-ups from a urologist in Santa Monica.
Reagan was a smoker – but quit, supposedly after his brother developed cancer of the voice box. Easily quitting smoking can be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer disease.
Drank little – Reagan was reported to drink very little alcohol. His favourite cocktail was “a weak orange blossom”.
General health – Reagan was 69 years old when he became President, making him the oldest man to do so. Since then Donald Trump became President aged 70 years, and Joe Biden at 78 years. Thus, there was concern during his campaign whether his health was up to the job. He sought to downplay these concerns by vowing to resign the Presidency if he became medically unfit. He also authorised the release of information about his medical history.
Shot – Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981. A long-nosed .22 calibre bullet, fired from a pistol, ricocheted off the Presidential limosine and entered Reagan’s chest, under his left arm. The bullet was of the exploding type, but it did not explode. The main threat to Reagan’s life was from blood loss and a collapsed lung.
After entering Reagan’s body, the bullet ricocheted off his left-sided seventh rib. By now the bullet was deformed into a dime-shaped mass, and when it entered Reagan’s left lung, it did considerable damage to the lung tissue. The lung began bleeding, and collapsed. The bullet lodged about one inch from the heart.
Alzheimer’s Disease – Ronald Reagan, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease five years after he left the presidency, may have been suffering from the disease whilst he was in office.
