FORT RILEY, Kansas  –   IACH’s Refractive Surgery Center is encouraging Active-Duty Soldiers to take advantage of a readiness-enhancing capability many still don’t realize they’re eligible for: Army-funded PRK and LASIK right here on post.

The Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program (WRESP) provides modern corrective-eye surgery at no cost to the Soldier, and the procedures are specifically authorized to improve mission performance, survivability, and operational flexibility. The program is open to Active-Duty, activated Guard, and Reserve service members who meet medical, administrative, and service-time requirements.

Corrective eyewear remains a persistent operational risk: fogging during strenuous activity, dust interference at training sites, breakage in the field, and loss during deployment or airborne operations. Soldiers who transition to PRK or LASIK report immediate gains in comfort, speed, and confidence during marksmanship, combatives, ruck movements, and night operations.

Both PRK and LASIK use state-of-the-art laser technology to reshape the cornea and provide long-term correction for common refractive errors. PRK uses a surface-based laser approach, while LASIK creates a flap before reshaping deeper corneal layers. Surgical teams at IACH perform both procedures using advanced platforms operated by specially trained physicians and technicians.

WRESP eligibility includes a clear set of requirements designed to ensure safe outcomes and uninterrupted readiness:

• Active-Duty, activated Guard, or Reserve status
• Age 18 or older here at Fort Riley
• No deployments, TDY, leave, or schooling scheduled within 3 months of surgery
• No adverse personnel actions, no MEB pending
• Full-time corrective lens use
• No contact lens wear for 30 days prior to screening
• Not pregnant or nursing (within six months prior to screening)
• At least six months remaining on Active Duty from the date of surgery

“PRK and LASIK are available to directly improve readiness, performance, safety, and deployability,” said MAJ Aaron Peterson, Chief of IACH Surgical Services. “If you are a full-time glasses wearer who is not deployable without them, you may be a candidate for laser surgery. When glasses are lost, broken, fogged, or scratched, the warfighting mission will be compromised. Refractive surgery is one of the most measurable upgrades a Soldier can make to their vision readiness, potentially eliminating the need for glasses.”

Visit the IACH WRESP webpage for more information.