Jim Hicks, age 35, has rode Brahma Bulls for the last 14 years. He
underwent no cut epi-lasik or Advanced Surface Treatment this March
for his job requirement, which means that how you get off the bull
is trickier than how you get on the bull. Next year will be his
first professional tour in Brahma Bull riding in the United States.
Guess what? His favorite state is Oklahoma, and safety first
Epilasik is his “only choice" for safe riding.
Dr. Shealy is building better
soldiers, one eye at a time.
After years of skepticism, the
military is embracing laser eye surgery with enthusiasm, envisioning
soldiers in Iraq and other hot spots who no longer have to worry about
glasses fogging up or contacts popping out during combat. It makes
people into potentially better soldiers, better able to perform their
duties.
Laser eye surgery is now actively
promoted by the military, and Dr. Shealy expects to correct the vision
of hundreds of soldiers in coming years. There’s a huge demand for the
procedure. The surgery is a way to improve the fighting forces. Many
soldiers are encouraged by superiors to have the surgery. Commanders are
seeing the potential and wanting to have their troops treated, as it
enhances the fighting force.
Eyeglasses have long been troublesome
for soldiers, and modern warfare has made the problem worse.
Increasingly, the military is employing sophisticated weapons and
gadgets where glasses can get in the way. Soldiers who wear glasses need
prescription inserts to wear gas masks. The same is true of goggles
being developed to protect soldiers from enemy lasers. If soldiers’
glasses steam up or fall off, they become a liability, and they are no
longer part of the solution, but instead, part of the problem. In harsh
environments where U.S. troops often are deployed, contact lenses can be
even worse. Many soldiers who wore contact lenses during the Gulf War
ended up ditching them and wearing glasses.
Troops perform better in rugged
training conditions after having the surgery. They can jump out of
planes at night and slog through the swamps for weeks and not have
problems. It gives them an edge, and they don’t have to worry about
their glasses fogging up or losing their contact lenses.
Dr. Shealy has corrected the vision
of hundreds of service members since 1989. Many soldiers who have had
the procedure recommend it to their fellow troops.
Ode to
The Day I Could See By Bruce Pritchett, patient of Dr. Shealy and former
glasses and contact lens wearer
I remember it well, I was seven years
old, When my teach she sent home this mail; "Oh your son is quite smart, and he sure has the heart, But his vision is starting to fail."
So my father he took me to Doctor
Perez And he checked my eyes over quite well. When the verdict was read, the doc placed on my head My first glasses, now I could see swell!
Well my grades they went up and I
sure liked to see, But those glasses they drove me quite crazy. For each time I got hot, they would fog up a lot And then everything got rather hazy.
When junior high came it was time for
a change, My new contacts they brought out my best. Yes I now looked as good, as a twelve year old could, At least that's what my girlfriend confessed.
Well I put up with contacts for
twenty-five years, 'Til one day I said, "That is enough!" "I'm so tired of this crap! Why I can't even nap," "Without dragging out all of this stuff!"
So I called Doctor Shealy at once on
the phone, And said, "Doc, I am ready to see!" Just a couple of flaps and a few laser zaps. Now the world is much different for me.
Yes each morning I wake and I jump
out of bed, And I take a long look all around. For the world is so clear, both the far and the near, It's like something I lost has been found.
So if you are fed up with those
glasses of yours, Or you're tired of contact lens strife. Give Doc Shealy a buzz, for the things that he does Will bring focus to all of your life!
Patient of the Month
