How do I get a referral to get laser eye surgery, LASIK or PRK in the military? 

To inquire about refractive surgery you must make an appointment with a military optometrist or ophthalmologist.  These doctors will discuss your options on an individual basis.  Each military post has a slightly different procedure for refractive surgery.  Typically, the optometrist or ophthalmologist will initially examine a soldier to verify if they qualify for surgery (30% don’t qualify.)  If a soldier qualifies then they will send the soldier’s information to a military refractive surgery center.  The military refractive surgery centers are at Ft Bragg, Ft Campbell, Ft Hood, Tripler AMC, and Landstuhl RMC.  The refractive surgery center will review the patient’s records, set the patient’s priority, and schedule an appointment when available.   

Family members, dependents, retirees, National Guard, Active Reserve and Inactive Reserve DO NOT QUALIFY for refractive surgery through the Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program.  So that means, the military will not do refractive surgery for these groups.