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What you should know about LASIK

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Written by Cpl. Alvaro V. aro Scout Staff

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

As laser surgery becomes one of the greatest advances in treating, curing and, for some of us, improving our eyesight, today’s LASIK procedures offer an excellent alternative for reducing dependence on eyeglasses or contact lenses. However, if you want your military insurance to cover it, there are a few considerations and requirements to keep in mind. What is LASIK? Laser in situ keratomileusis, or LASIK, is an outpatient surgical procedure used to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. With LASIK, your ophthalmologist uses a microsurgical instrument and a laser to reshape the cornea (the clear covering) of the eye to improve the way your eye focuses light rays into the retina. Who is eligible to get LASIK surgery at the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton? You need to be a Marine or sailor on active duty with at least 18 months left on your contract and cannot be expecting deployment three months after the time of surgery. You also need to be at least 21 years old and not be pregnant or nursing, free of any eye disease, should not have had a change in your eye prescription in the last year and should have a refractive error within the range of correction. LASIK is not for everyone. Your ophthalmologist will ultimately determine whether you are a good candidate or not. What are the steps to follow in order to receive surgery? First, you need to get a Navy Refractive Surgery Form from Optometry at the Naval Hospital. Fill out the form and have your commanding officer sign and select a priority level as it pertains to mission accomplishment. You will need two eye exams total but only one needs to be from the current year. Optometry will then review your medical documents and let you know if you are eligible for the procedure. If you meet the requirements, you will be referred to the ophthalmology clinic at the Naval Hospital and placed on a waiting list which normally lasts from six months to a year depending on your job and your priority level. What will my vision be after LASIK? LASIK allows people to perform most of their everyday tasks without corrective lenses. However, people looking for perfect vision without glasses or contacts run the risk of being disappointed. More than 90 percent of people who have LASIK achieve somewhere between 20/20 and 20/40 vision without glasses or contact lenses. If vision is under corrected after the procedure, your doctor may decide to perform a second surgery, called an enhancement, to further refine the result. LASIK cannot correct presbyopia, the age-related loss of close-up focusing power. With or without refractive surgery, almost everyone who has excellent distance vision will need reading glasses by the time they reach the age of 40 or 50. If 20/20 vision is essential for your job or leisure activities, consider whether 20/40 vision would be good enough for you. You should be comfortable with the possibility that you may need a second surgery or that you might need to wear glasses for certain activities, such as reading or driving at night. Where can I get more information? Call the Optometry Department at the Naval Hospital at (760) 725-8494 to schedule an appointment or (760) 763-5731 if you are already on the list and want to find out the status of your case.

 

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