![]() ![]() This surgery requires placing a small plastic lens inside the eye. Implantable collamer lenses (ICLs) are also available at some laser centers and are used to correct very high prescriptions when ocular parameters may not be safe to perform LASIK or PRK. SMILE offers rapid visual recovery by removing a thin lenticule of tissue from the cornea." We now perform SMILE for active duty service members. It allows our warfighters and aviators to deploy without glasses and contacts. Bill Gensheimer, chief of ophthalmology at the Warfighter Eye Center at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, said, "Refractive surgery in the military provides a combat edge in vision. Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) is a new refractive surgery procedure available at some military refractive surgery centers. This imaging is used for mapping the surface curvature of the cornea (Photo by: Air Force Staff Sgt. Recovery time for LASIK is typically a few days to a few weeks.Ī Joint Base Andrews topographer takes a topographic map of a patient’s cornea. This procedure usually takes five to 30 minutes. LASIK involves creating a surgical flap with a laser on the front of the cornea and then sculpting the underlying surface. PRK is a very low-risk procedure but can take up to 90 days to completely heal. PRK is a 10-minute surgical procedure that reshapes the surface curvature of the cornea by gently removing tissue with a cool ultraviolet laser. However, no procedure currently eliminates the need for reading glasses, which occurs because of aging of the eye, usually when a person reaches their mid-40s. This advanced technology enables the correction of most patients with nearsightedness, astigmatism or farsightedness. Photo refractive keratectomy, or PRK, and laser assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) are available at all 26 military laser centers. Since its inception in 2001, the research, technology and experience have allowed the program to expand and include all active duty service members, including aviators. This program was initially designed to provide a combat-vision edge to Navy SEALS, Special Forces and other warfighters through a variety of corrective surgery options. The purpose of the program then, and now is to enhance vision on the battlefield, improve readiness, retain or qualify military members in occupations demanding excellent uncorrected vision, and to make headgear and goggles less burdensome. ![]() Twenty years ago, the Department of Defense initiated the Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program. Eliminating the need for distance correction, particularly when service members deploy, avoids these risks." Contact lenses are not allowed in deployed conditions due to their propensity for infection. "Glasses can dislodge, fog or be lost, putting the military member and team at additional risk. James Townley, refractive surgery consultant. "Vision impacts so much of what we do in the military, and having problems with glasses or contact lenses, especially in a deployed environment, can cause a host of problems," said Air Force Lt. While many service members wear contact lenses or glasses, other warfighters find glasses or contact lenses incompatible or difficult in austere environments. Maintaining near perfect vision is vital to any warfighter. Vision and Hearing Loss Prevention | Vision and Hearing Loss Prevention | Vision Center of Excellence ![]()
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