CL-wearing troops in line for laser surgery

Combat troops who wear contact lenses and complain of vision difficulties when working in dusty climates such as Iraq and Afghanistan may be offered free laser eye surgery.

According to a report in The Times newspaper (February 18), lieutenant-general Louis Lillywhite, the Surgeon-General at the Ministry of Defence, has ordered an internal review because of the pressure he was under to find a solution for troops complaining of vision difficulties.

Lieutenant-general Lillywhite said that providing laser surgery for combat troops who would normally have to wear corrective lenses was being considered because soldiers have contracted corneal ulcers and other infections after wearing CLs for days at a time.