SMO Fall Newsletter 2025
SMO Spring Newsletter 2025

Call for Refractive Surgeons to Create a Public-Facing Digital Education Platform for the Warfigter Refractive Eye Surgery Program (WRESP)

Contact: jordan.w.winegar2.mil@health.mil for more information!

1. PURPOSE (BLUF): To establish a definitive, trusted, and unbiased online educational presence for refractive surgery. This initiative will enhance warfighter readiness and lethality by educating service members on the benefits of refractive surgery and streamlining access to the Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program (WRESP). It will also serve as a trusted public resource, bolstering the reputation of military medicine.

2. BACKGROUND:

  • High Prevalence: Over one-third of active-duty service members (ADSM) require corrective eyewear, with significant annual prevalence rates of myopia (38.5%), astigmatism (32.9%), and hyperopia (12.0%).

  • Readiness Risk: Dependence on glasses and contact lenses presents a direct threat to mission success. Eyewear can be lost or broken, is incompatible with certain optical and safety equipment (NVGs, CBRN gear), and increases the risk of vision-threatening infections in austere environments.

  • Proven Solution: The WRESP successfully mitigates these risks, with 99.6% of patients recommending the surgery. It is a proven force multiplier, enhancing visual performance, safety, and lethality.

  • Challenges: Currently, the online presence is piecemeal at best. ADSM have nowhere to go for official, reputable educational content.

3. VISION & MISSION:

  • Vision: To create the world’s most trusted online resource for refractive surgery education, for both military personnel and the general public, leveraging the credibility of the U.S. Military's unbiased ophthalmologists.

  • Mission:

    • Primary: Educate ADSM on the operational and personal benefits of refractive surgery to preserve fighting strength and increase lethality.

    • Secondary: Provide authoritative, unbiased information on all vision correction options to dependents, retirees, and the public.

    • Tertiary: Solidify the DoD as a leader in ophthalmological excellence and patient education.