Refractive surgery aids
military readiness, Navy surgeon says
Mary E. Archer, Beth Herskovits
OCULAR SURGERY NEWS 6/15/2004
Tens of thousands of
American service men and women have benefited from refractive surgery,
including thousands now deployed on active duty in Iraq, said Capt. Steven C. Schallhorn, MD, at a memorable reception here aboard an
aircraft carrier. Refractive surgery has enhanced their combat readiness and
increased the pool of personnel eligible to participate in programs such as
naval aviation, he said.
Dr. Schallhorn
made his remarks at the kickoff event of this year’s American Society of
Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting. The biggest topic at this year’s
meeting was customized, wavefront-guided laser refractive surgery, according to
Roger F. Steinert, MD. In his delivery of the Binkhorst Lecture later in the meeting, Dr. Steinert said that for the first time at this ASCRS meeting
the largest number of scientific papers were wavefront-related.
In the dramatic setting of
a deck on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis,
Dr. Schallhorn thanked ASCRS for its contributions to
and advancement of refractive surgery, and he described the significant impact
refractive surgery has had on the armed forces. He said as many as 1,000 naval
aviators, including aircraft carrier pilots, have undergone refractive surgery.
In addition, more than 500 student aviators who would otherwise not have been
admitted have been able to enter pilot training because of refractive surgery,
he said.
Studies showing the
success of refractive surgery, PRK in particular, in military personnel have
had a “profound impact” on the military, Dr. Schallhorn
said, convincing the Navy to change its policy and allow naval aviators to have
the surgery.
Dr. Schallhorn
is well-known for his extensive work leading many of the studies that have evaluated
the effects of refractive surgery in U.S. Navy pilots.