 
British Military Laser Eye Surgery Policy 2011
Although the US Military
actively encourages its troops and other service personnel to have LASIK laser
eye treatment for short sight, long sight and astigmatism (  US
Military Laser Eye Surgery Policy 2011), the UK Ministry of Defence ( MoD ) has yet to adopt the same approach. The Secretary of State for
Defence (Geoff Hoon, MP) provided with the following statement:
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The MoD is currently reviewing its policy on
laser eye surgery. In future, this may allow us to offer this treatment for
Service personnel, undertaken by military ophthalmic surgeons in defence
secondary care facilities, where appropriate.
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Existing military policy,
followed by all three Services
1. States that while laser eye surgery is not generally prohibited
among serving personnel or potential recruits, there are rules
covering its use.
2. Laser eye surgery is not approved for personnel in certain
specialist employment groups such as aviation, diving, airborne
forces or marines.
3. And for all personnel, either serving or potential recruits, the maximum pre-correction refractive error that is allowable to
be corrected is +/- 6 dioptres. The MoD does not pay for refractive error corrective surgery, nor is it undertaken by
military ophthalmic surgeons on military patients.
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Personnel who are currently serving, and choose
to undergo laser eye surgery, are obliged to disclose it to their medical
officer and, on their return to work, they are temporarily medically
downgraded for a period of 12 months. Before being declared medically fit,
they are seen by a Service consultant ophthalmologist who confirms that the
individual is suffering from no significant visual side effects secondary to
the surgery, and that the eye is stable. When contemplating this procedure,
personnel are advised that failure to meet eyesight standards following the
operation may result in permanent medical downgrading.
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Any potential recruit who
has disclosed that they have had laser eye surgery must be referred for a
comprehensive ophthalmic examination by a Service approved consultant
ophthalmic surgeon who will make a recommendation on suitability for entry.
This must include specialist visual function testing. They must also show
documentary evidence that:
1. The pre-correction error was no more than +/- 6 dioptres
2. The best spectacle corrected visual acuity is 6/6 or better in the right eye, and 6/12 or better in the left eye
3. At least 12 months have elapsed since they had the treatment
4. There has been no significant visual side effects secondary to the surgery affecting daily activities
5. Refraction is stable, as defined by two refractions performed on each eye at least six months apart, with no more than a
0.50 dioptre difference in the spherical equivalent in each eye.
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