Refractive surgery in the United States Army, 2000-2003.

PURPOSE: To examine the history, current status, outcomes, and future direction of the Army Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program (WRESP), which was established to reduce the limitations posed by corrective eyewear in combat arms soldiers.

DESIGN: Retrospective study.

PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen thousand one hundred eleven Army service members who underwent refractive surgery between May 2000 and September 2003.

METHODS: Results were collected from monthly WRESP reports and from questionnaires administered to refractive surgery patients returning from deployments to southwest Asia. Soldiers rated the impact of refractive surgery on their ability to perform select operational tasks as well as their overall readiness.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity (VA) and patient satisfaction.

RESULTS: Between May 2000 and September 30, 2003, 32 068 eyes of 16 111 soldiers were treated. Postoperative uncorrected VA was better than or equal to 20/20 in 85.6%, 20/25 in 92.4%, and 20/40 in 98.2% of eyes with at least 3 months' follow-up, and 93.7% of 175 surveyed patients rated their overall readiness better or much better after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: This program has provided excellent outcomes and enhanced the overall readiness of over 16 000 Army service members. Reports of night vision difficulties, LASIK flap dislocation, and dry eye are infrequent, and do not seem to have a significant negative impact on military operations or individual readiness. This article contains additional online-only material available at https://www.ophsource.com/periodicals/ophtha.