Free LASIK for servicemembers

  • Published
  • By Buckley Optometry Clinic
  • 460th Medical Group
Qualified active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel, assigned to Buckley and the Denver Metro Area, may now be eligible for Corneal Refractive Surgery -- commonly known as LASIK and PRK.

Guardsmen and Reservists must be on orders for more than six months to be considered.

The first route for refractive surgery is military, which is done at a Department of Defense facility. The closest DoD refractive surgery center is at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. Civilian surgery, which is paid for by the servicemember is the alternative.

The route that is chosen influences the approval process a military member must take. Class one and two flyers do not have the option of civilian refractive eye surgery.

Individuals interested in either route should first talk to their squadron commander, or equivalent, before proceeding.

Active Duty personnel will be on profile for a minimum of one month and possibly up to four months after surgery which can prevent a PCS or deployment. The medical records must also be updated to include copies of all post-operative reports done by the civilian surgical center.

Normal duty status is typically attained within two weeks of civilian refractive surgery.

The Air Force has currently performed over 50,000 corneal refractive surgeries whereby 99.7 percent of eyes obtain 20/40 or better vision without lenses six months post-operatively.

Candidates wishing to take the military route can directly contact the Air Force Academy at 10mdg.lasereyeclinic@usafa.af.mil for electronic applications and commander's authorization forms if they've had a comprehensive eye exam within the last year.

To schedule an eye exam and discuss candidacy for refractive surgery contact the Buckley Optometry Clinic at 720-847-6092

For more information call the U.S. Air Force Refractive Surgery Registry at (DSN) 240-4514 or commercial at 210-536-4514.

All civillian surgery documents can be found here.