Many of the medical procedures or the improvement of those medical procedures taken for granted today happened because the soldiers or astronauts needed it for their duties. Harsh environments such as found in space or combat zones make wearing glasses or even wearing contacts a hazard. Aiming systems of high technology weaponry require preciseness. Helmets and faceguards do not allow adjustments of glasses while in use. Losing a contact lens while the helmet sits on the head in outer space or while engaging the enemy does not get the task accomplished efficiently. Even though deemed not medically necessary the military and NASA have participants undergo LASIK surgery to rid them of the inconvenience of glasses and contact lens.
Benefits
Because of the preciseness needed to help astronauts and soldiers including pilots do their duties well the rest of the public benefits. Intense research with ophthalmologists exploring ways to make the laser eye surgery even better such as at Houston Lasik spills over into offering the same high level of care to non-military patients. Not only does LASIK improve under such conditions but other refractive surgeries such as PRK or SMILE have Department of Defense approval as well. The goal at NASA and in the military remains spectacle-free vision in all personnel. As of September 2016, because of the Navy’s willingness to explore options four sailors underwent the procedure to meet Department of Defense requirements. SMILE means small incision lenticule extraction, and it takes parts of the PRK and parts of the LASIK process to create a new procedure. The change occurs in laser use making the femtosecond doing the extraction rather than the excimer laser. For some patients, it makes the best outcome more likely. It may lessen the likelihood of dry eyes after procedures, but not enough studies have been done on that to definitively say it does. For soldiers and astronauts, it helps ensure that mishaps occur less often in their duties and rules out lack of precise eyesight as the cause. Also, ophthalmologists have managed to shorten the amount of time it takes to recover from the procedure letting everyone get back to regular routines quicker.
Ordinary Citizens
The military often outsources the procedure to local ophthalmologists. Dr. Amjad Khokhar, his staff and office personnel were chosen by the military as the place for the forces to have the procedure done. Ordinary citizens can come into the office and counsel with the staff about their vision issues. Once deciding LASIK may be the option for them a person can set up a consultation and visit with one of the ophthalmologists. Highly skilled and with the latest technological and procedural advancements knowledge they can address what an ordinary person’s vision needs. Knowing that an ophthalmologist can perform an operation to the level it can withstand action in combat means most likely it can stand the rigors of ordinary life. Drop by and visit the clinic in Houston. The staff will be happy to chat about the eye issues and arrange a consultation with an ophthalmologist.
Houston Lasik leads in providing premium LASIK technologies to Houston, Sugar Land, and the surrounding region. The center’s award-winning medical director introduced revolutionary technologies such as iLASIK to the region. This technology is used by NASA astronauts, Navy SEALS, and Air Force fighter pilots. At Houston Lasik, you can now receive the same treatment. For more information, please call (281) 240-0478.
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