efficiency. That’s what some members of the armed forces report they have, thanks to the latest in vision correction technology. The technology is called custom or wavefront-guided LASIK.It was recently approved by the Air Force for certain pilots because of the superior night vision it offers compared to conventional LASIK, according to Col. Robert Smith, MD of the Air Force Warfighter Refractive Surgery program. The Army, Navy and Air Force are jointly evaluating custom laser vision correction, which is commonly available to consumers who have LASIK. “It’s helping bring our men home because it helps us operate more effectively in combat,” said Marine Col. Mike Schupp, leader of Regimental Combat Team 1, which recently seized the Iraqi insurgent stronghold of Fallujah. “It makes us better marksman and better day and night fighters,” said Schupp explaining the benefits of laser vision correction for his troops. Wavefront technology makes it possible to measure the imperfections in the eye never measured before using standard methods for glasses or contacts. Wavefrontguided digital technology identifies and measures imperfections in an individual’s eye 25 times more precisely than the standard Wavefront-guided LASIK corrects the eye’s visual errors far more accurately than everbefore. method. Physicians use this information to treat individuals during the custom LASIK procedure. U.S. Navy also reported that wavefront produces superior visual outcomes compared to traditional laser vision correction surgeries, during the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). “With wavefront-guided procedures we’re getting better quality of vision than we did with conventional laser surgery,” said Captain Steve Schallhorn, MD, director of refractive surgery at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, reporting on hisfindings. For more information about custom LASIK, also known as wavefront-guided LASIK, visit www.eyesurgeryeducation.org.
