This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

First US Navy personnel undergo ReLEx SMILE procedure

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

The first small incision lenticule extraction procedures have been performed on U.S. Navy personnel in California, according to a Zeiss press release.

ReLEx SMILE, a minimally invasive laser eye surgery, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of myopia, and U.S. Department of Defense refractive surgeons are now able to offer it to service members.

Cmdr. John B. Cason, MD, performed the procedures at the Navy Refractive Surgery Center in San Diego, which was the first military medical center to adopt PRK and LASIK vision correction. Cason will also be part of the Tri-Service study, which will examine SMILE in patients who work “in extreme environments and dynamic roles unique to service members and first responders,” the release said.

“The collaboration between the DoD and Zeiss marks a new milestone for SMILE, the latest advancement in laser vision correction. Overcoming dependence on eyeglasses or contacts can enhance quality of life, but it is also critical to the safety and performance of active duty personnel,” Jim Mazzo, global president ophthalmic devices at Zeiss, said in the release.