Military Members

LASIK vision correction patients enjoy the benefits of improved sight and the way it makes life easier and more enjoyable.

	Good Morning Doctor Feldman, In May of 2008, I received my surgery through your establishment and have been glasses free since that time.  I have seen a Doctor in Kansas City for my follow ups as I am in the Army stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I just wanted to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for all that you and your colleagues have done for me.  Thank you again. Sincerely, Jonathan D. Smith SGT, USA

For members of the military, LASIK surgery might even keep our troops safer. Like most of the population, a significant number of federal service members on active duty rely on glasses or contact lenses. Glasses can be lost and in a war zone, not easily replaced and contact lenses are a host to other problems, especially in the dust storms of the Mideast. In 2003, the military airlifted 60 service members out of Iraq in one three-month period because they had sustained severe corneal damage caused by contact wear. The military was compelled to ban contact lenses because of the dusty and dirty conditions.

But when a member of the US military gets a LASIK procedure, the benefits can be far more profound. As reported by Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military’s independent news source, in a 2004 survey of 300 service members who had LASIK surgery, 90 percent reported that they were more confident deploying overseas. Ninety four percent said the surgery had made them more effective; and 91 percent said they credited the surgery with an increased ability to accomplish the mission.  

Whether or not you’re on active duty, LASIK vision correction can improve your quality of life. When you see better, you regain confidence in your eyesight and your reaction times may be faster. And when you don’t have to fumble for glasses or cope with irritation or discomfort of contact lenses, you experience visual freedom. These are all benefits that LASIK patients enjoy and appreciate. But when a member of the US military gets a LASIK procedure, these benefits extend to all of us!

For a soldier, having reliable, high-function vision can be a matter of life or death for him/ herself and his/her fellow troops. Eyeglasses and contact lenses can be broken or misplaced and dirt and dust can render contact lenses useless and even dangerous. In a hostile situation when the consequences of poor visual information are potentially lethal, the significance of high-function vision can hardly be overestimated.

The US military recognizes the value of LASIK and LASIK is now approved for members of the military. Although different branches of the military have slightly different policies regarding LASIK and other vision correction surgery (Clearview urges all members or prospective members of the military to review the regulations pertaining to their respective division), all branches recognize the tactical advantages conferred by laser vision correction and the visual freedom it affords.