Jimmy Carter: VISION CARE ADVOCATE
The former president discusses his global efforts and his call for earlier exams in the U.S.

After being inspired by the keynote address delivered to the American Optometric Association (AOA) Congress this summer by former President Jimmy Carter, Neil Gailmard, O.D., chief optometric editor of the BCI publication Optometric Management, requested an interview with Mr. Carter. The former president, who recently received a Nobel Peace Prize, agreed to an exclusive interview with the BCI family of eyecare publications to discuss his personal interest in vision care and the ongoing work of The Carter Center in combating debilitating eye diseases in Third World countries. The interview that follows was conducted through a written exchange of questions and answers between Mr. Carter and Dr. Gailmard:

President Carter: Trachoma is the number one worldwide cause of preventable blindness. It comes from flies and filthy eyes, with the resulting infection causing the eyelids to turn inward. With each blink, the eyelashes slash the cornea. My mother was a registered nurse, and treated patients in southern Georgia for trachoma when I was a child, but now people are afflicted mostly in Third World communities that lack sanitation and insect control.

Assisted by the Conrad Hilton Foundation, Pfizer and Lions International, The Carter Center provided treatment in 2001 to 487,000 patients in 4,400 villages in Mali, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Yemen. To promote our program, we use the acronym SAFE, referring to Surgery (removal of eyelashes), Antibiotic (Zithromax), Facial cleanliness, and Environment.

Onchocerciasis is transmitted by small black flies that breed in rapidly flowing streams, leading to the common name "river blindness." The adult parasitic worms are long-lived (8-15 years), and the prelarval forms (microfilaria) released by adult females permeate the skin and eyes and cause inflammation and disease. An annual dose of Merck's invermectin (Mectizan), while not curative, can arrest progress of the disease in those already infected and prevent the disease in others.

In 1987, Merck approached The Carter Center and offered to donate the medicine in developing nations if we could develop a proper delivery system. Working with many others, we did so, and later assumed responsibility for its distribution. The Carter Center now assists these activities in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda, and coordinates activities that we believe will completely eliminate the infection in all six endemic countries in the Americas (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela). Last year, we delivered Mectizan to more than 8 million people, bringing our total treatments to over 40 million.

BCI: Closer to home, you've indicated your belief in the concept of all children in the United States receiving eye exams at a young age. How did you come to develop an interest in pediatric vision care?

President Carter: Our granddaughter, Margaret, suffered from lazy eye, and her parents noticed that by the time she was 3 years old she often tilted her head to the side, attempting to favor one good eye. But her problem wasn't understood until she injured her eyeball by accidentally sticking a butter knife in it, obviously not able to see it when it approached her eye. When she was taken to a doctor, a thorough test revealed that she had little reaction to a source of light. Early treatment, which included a combination of eye therapy and patching, corrected her amblyopia.

A more serious case was with our grandson, Jamie, who, at 8 1/2 years old, had no noticeable symptoms and had passed several eye tests administered in school. When he finally failed one of the school eye exams, his parents took him to an optometrist, who diagnosed a serious and advanced case of amblyopia. The doctor advised that it might be too late to correct Jamie's eyesight completely, but prescribed therapy and a rigid discipline of a patch over the good eye for several hours each day. Our grandson is following this advice meticulously, and his eyesight has now improved from 20/80 to 20/60 and, with glasses, he can read increasingly fine print. We are hopeful that his problem will be corrected. Jamie's parents feel strongly about the importance of children being tested in an optometrist's office long before they start school in order to expose lazy eye.

Because of our commitment to improving the health of our nation's children and our experience in our own family with undiscovered amblyopia, Rosalynn and I have been delighted to participate as national co-chairpersons of Operation Bright Start, which provides free eye examinations to children in their first year of life. It's our hope that this program will grow and quickly become a nationwide effort to detect and correct vision and eye disorders in very young children.

BCI: You challenged eyecare professionals at the AOA Congress to develop a program that would provide eye exams for children who couldn't afford care, at no government cost. Could you elaborate on that concept?

President Carter: I would like to see the AOA take the lead in developing a program where all children can receive a comprehensive eye exam at no cost to the family. This should be at a very early age, while they are young enough to have problems like amblyopia corrected.

BCI: It seems that one of the challenges in delivering free eye care to the needy is in developing a system that fairly identifies people who are truly in need. Any suggestions?

President Carter: I don't really see any alternative to having local optometrists reach each child at a very early age. These are trusted eyecare specialists who can identify the children who are in need of some kind of treatment, by offering a free eye examination (to those not covered by Medicaid or existing insurance).

There shouldn't be any restriction on the income level of the parents. For poor families, this might be their only chance, and even for wealthier ones (like mine) the early evaluation can avoid serious problems that might otherwise be unknown.

This is an act of altruism that can be rewarding in many ways, both in benefits to children and also in cementing good relationships between the care provider and families who might not otherwise ever know of the fine services available.

BCI: The AOA and its affiliated state associations have a very successful program called Vision USA, which delivers eye care and eyeglasses to uninsured, low-income people of all ages. The program provides an eligibility screening through national or local agencies. While Vision USA has helped hundreds of thousands of people receive care, there are millions more who could qualify but don't apply. If a program existed for no-cost eye care for children, how do we get people to use it?

President Carter: Such a program could be made known through public announcements, government agencies, parent-teacher organizations and other civic organizations. I've been a top leader in Lions International, and would be glad to encourage every Lions Club in America to promote and endorse such a nationwide campaign. Rosalynn and I will also help in other ways.

BCI: Kentucky passed groundbreaking legislation requiring all children to have a comprehensive eye exam (not a screening), before entering public school. There is some state funding available for children whose families can't afford this care. Other states are currently working on similar legislation. What's your view of such legislation?

President Carter: I favor legislation in all states, using Kentucky as a fine example. As a former governor, I know how difficult it is to have even good opportunities become one of the top priorities for busy governors. A specific offering by optometrists would be welcomed by any governor, all of whom want to help their people, score political points, and associate with admirable professionals. However, the services advocated here shouldn't wait for states to pass legislation.

BCI: You and your family have received regular eye care for years from your personal friend, Carlton T. Hicks, Jr., O.D. Can you share some of your personal experiences with eye care? It seems that most U.S. presidents appear on television without eyeglasses, yet they are at an age when glasses are generally needed. Are bifocal contact lenses a common presidential aid?

President Carter: As an active politician, I was always able to get along without lenses when making speeches, either by using large print, teleprompters, or just by speaking extemporaneously from a few notes. However, I don't have any feeling of embarrassment now when I speak while wearing well-designed eyeglasses. Recently, following a text closely while addressing the people of Cuba in Spanish, I wore them, with comfort and pride. Rosalynn sometimes uses contact lenses when referring to a written text.

BCI: Thank you, President Carter, for your inspiring ideas about eye care, and for the excellent work you do through The Carter Center.