US Air Force Aims for "Weapons Grade Vision"
USAF Approves Custom LASIK for Certain Aviators
by Col. Robert E. Smith II, M.D.
In June 2004, the Vice Chief of Staff and the US Air Force Surgeon General approved wavefront- guided LASIK (WFG-LASIK) for aviators in aircraft with cabin altitudes of less than 14,000 feet.
At this time, WFG-LASIK is not approved for those aviators in high performance aircraft (such as fighters and trainers) or those whose aircraft have cabin altitudes potentially above 14,000 feet. Conventional LASIK was not approved for any aviator.
The advantages of LASIK are quicker visual recovery, no long-term use of topical steroids, and decreased incidence of visually significant haze. WFG-LASIK is a major Warfighter readiness issue and these advantages allow for less down time and quicker return to the cockpit for the Air Forces aviation population. This is critical in todays expeditionary forces environment. WFG-LASIK is a "performance enhancement procedure" and AF pilots feel as if this surgical procedure gives them a competitive or combat edge in the fight.
I performed the first aviator WFG-LASIK treatment in September 2004 using the VISX S4 platform. That aviator now has 20/12 UCVA (better than his BCVA preop) and states that his night vision performance has been tremendously improved. This is the typical result that I call an "improvement to the human weapon system" which gives our pilots the competitive edge in their work environment.
The Air Force now has five Warfighter Refractive Surgery Centers. Since Aug 2000 when it was approved by the AF Surgeon General and the Chief of Staff, the Air Force has done more than 25,000 treatments on its Warfighters with approximately 25% of those being conventional and custom LASIK using the VISX S4 platform.
The Air Force is currently involved with Dr. Steve Schallhorn and the US
Navy in a collaborative WFG-PRK study to obtain FDA approval for WFGPRK
using the new VISX Fourier Custom treatment algorithms. Initial results are very promising with quality vision (contrast sensitivity) results better than
the original Zernike-based custom treatment profiles.
Col. Robert E. Smith II, M.D., Chief of Cornea/Refractive Surgery at the USAF Wilford Hall Medical Center Dept of Ophthalmology in San Antonio, TX, leads USAF Refractive Surgery as the USAF Surgeon General Refractive Surgery Chief Consultant and the Program Manager of the USAF Warfighter Refractive Surgery Program.
Precise language delivers the correct message to patients.
Article posted on Copyright © 1997-2005 EyeWorld News Service. accessed from http://www.eyeworld.org/ewweeksupplementarticle.php?id=7 September 08, 2005.
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