|Articles|November 19, 2016
Did you know these 20 celebrities have impaired vision?
Author(s)Jolie Higazi
From movie stars to professional athletes, these famous people do not let their visual impairments hold them back.
Advertisement
1. Ronald Reagan
Reagan was diagnosed with myopia. To learn about how his visual impairment affected him, click
More:
2. Jorge Luis Borges
The famous Argentinian writer had a public lecture on blindness in 1977 in which he stated the irony of being given honors for his written work at the same time his doctor informed him that he would soon be too blind to write on his own. He had cataracts and a series of failed eye procedures.
Recent:
3. Johnny Depp
Depp acknowledged that he has suffered from vision issues from early on in his life, saying he can barely see from his left eye.
Recent:
4. Galileo Galilei
The most probable causes of Galilei's blindness were cataracts and glaucoma.
Recent:
5. Casey Harris
Born blind, Harris is the keyboardist for the band "X Ambassadors."
After-hours:
6. Homer
Along with Homer's debated existance-or lack thereof-is a question as to whether blindness was also an impairment he struggled with in his old age.
Recent:
7. James Joyce
Joyce had severe eye pain for the second half of his life. He had multiple surgeries to try to alleviate the pain, which may have caused his blindness.
Related:
8. Helen Keller
Keller was blind and deaf since she was less than 2 years old. Despite this, she is one of the most well known women's writers of the century.
After-hours:
9. Harper Lee
The writer of this classic text was partially blind and deaf, but said that her vision impairment was not the reason she stopped writing. Instead, she said it was because she said all that she wanted to say.
Recent:
10. Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr.
Allan Pineda Lindo Jr., also known as apl.de.ap., is a member of the band "The Black Eyed Peas" who has nystagmus.
Blog:
11. Claude Monet
The famous artist was pronounced blind in 1922, at which point he lost the ability to distinguish colors in his paintings.
Blog:
12. Horatio Nelson
The saying "turn a blind eye" was first attributed to Nelson as he used his partial blindness to his advantage in some combats, saying that he didn't see a signal which meant to call his soldiers off from attacking the enemy.
Editorial:
13. Dr. Abraham Nemeth
Dr. Nemeth, who was born blind, developed a system in 1952 for blind people to read and write mathematics called the Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation. The abacus, pictured above, was an instrument some people with visual impairments also use for counting.
Editorial:
14. Joseph Pulitzer
Pulitzer went blind in 1889.
Editorial:
15. Franklin Roosevelt
As a result of Roosevelt's paralytic illness, he experienced blurry vision which he feared would lead to blindness. Roosevelt's fifth cousin, Theodore, also experienced myopia. To learn more, click
Editorial:
16. Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Dr. Bolotin was the first congenitally blind person to become fully licensed to practice medicine. Dr. Bolotin passed at the early age of 36 in 1924, but there is an
17. Marla Runyan
Runyan is a well-known blind marathon runner who has competed in multiple Olympics and Para-Olympic games, winning mutiple gold medals.
Editorial:
18. James Thurber
Thurber was well-known as a cartoonist who was often featured in The New Yorker Magazine. He also wrote the original story for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," which was adapted into a second movie featuring Ben Stiller in 2013.
Recent:
19. Harriet Tubman
A hero to countless slaves, Tubman was struck on the head, causing her vision impairment and multiple seizures. Still, she did not let this stop her determination to free slaves in the Underground Railroad.
Recent:
20. Tiger Woods
The famous golf professional had LASIK surgery twice to remedy his extreme myopia. He would also experience frequent headaches from his contstant squinting.
More:
Newsletter
Don’t miss out—get Ophthalmology Times updates on the latest clinical advancements and expert interviews, straight to your inbox.
Advertisement
Related Content
Advertisement
Latest CME
Advertisement
Advertisement
.png "Optometry Times"){kind=logo}
