Location: 1st Floor, EENT Clinic
Hours of Operation: Mon - Fri 0800-1630
Clinic phone: 531-3276/77

**MEDPROS - IF YOU ONLY NEED YOUR MEDPROS UPDATED (AMBER OR RED ON AKO) PLEASE SEE FURTHER DOWN THE PAGE FOR THE CORRECT PROCESS - COMING TO OPTOMETRY FOR AN EYE EXAM WILL NOT UPDATE YOUR MEDPROS EXCEPT FOR THE SPECIFIC UNITS LISTED BELOW.

Active Duty Service Members (ADSMs): Currently, our clinic has the capacity to provide routine eye care (glasses and periodic eye health assessment) for ADSMs only. Supply of prescription eyewear and protective inserts are also issued if needed. Routine examination is limited to one appointment per year. Annual appointments can be made by calling the reception desk. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment to fill out the necessary paperwork. Patients who are more than 10 minutes late will be considered "no-shows" and will be rescheduled. For information regarding the Warfighter Refractive Surgery Program (WRESP), see below.

Contact Lens (CL) Services: Due to manpower and mission requirements, no new CL fits will be done (AR 40-63 chapter 4). For ADSMs that wear CLs and want to get their prescription updated to buy new CLs, we will accommodate this as time allows as part of the yearly routine exam. Glasses must be worn in and CLs brought (in their case) with a copy of the old CL prescription or the box that they came in. This must all be done as part of the yearly exam - no separate appointments will be made for CL prescription updates.

Dependents and Retirees: We are only able to see dependents and Retirees for urgent eye care on a referral basis (from ER, Family Practice, Pediatrics, etc). We hope to add a civilian optometrist to our team sometime in 2010, at which point we will be able to gradually open up slots to see dependents and retirees. In the meantime, please contact TRICARE for a list of approved optometrists to see in the area.

MEDPROS/Vision Readiness Screening: As stated above, coming in for an eye exam does not update your MEDPROS. We are only able to update MEDPROS for our unit (i.e. MEDDAC, DENTAC, VETCOM, and WTB). Screenings are unit-based check-ups of visual acuity with both eyes open and checks for possession of needed eyewear/protective inserts. They can be conducted by any soldier in the company or battalion, to be designated by the respective commander - this is not MOS/AOC or rank specific. The screening does not have to be performed by medical personnel. By conducting screenings and entering the information into MEDPROS, units are able to accurately document their vision readiness.

Vision Conservation and Readiness Information
Click here to view

Click here for the ALARACT that deals with units performing their own Vision Readiness Screening and updating MEDPROS.

Click here to learn how to input information into MEDPROS Mainframe (QWS system) for updating.

Click here for document detailing how to conduct Unit Vision Readiness Screening.

Click here for form needed to obtain MEDPROS read-write access.

Click here for Excel spreadsheet that can be used for recording Vision Readiness Screening Data.

Click here for printable eye chart for use during Unit Vision Readiness Screening.

If the above instructions are not adequate to establish the Unit Vision Readiness Screening Program, contact the EENT NCOIC at (337) 531-3276.

Combat Eye Protection:

Commercially available Eye Protection Information and Options Memo
Soldiers Eye Protection Authorized Options
Inserts (not frames) for these can be obtained through the Optometry Clinic.

WRESP (Corneal Refractive Surgery - CRS) - LASIK or PRK:
Each unit should have a designated point of contact (POC) for CRS - the name and number for your unit's CRS POC can be obtained by calling our reception desk at the number given above. If there are any questions regarding the following information the unit CRS POC should be able to provide clarification or find out the correct answer.

An appointment with Optometry is not necessary prior to being screened for CRS. CRS packets are available at the EENT reception desk or they may be downloaded here. CRS packets will need to be filled out to the soldier's best knowledge and signed by their company and battalion commanders, after which the packet can be submitted to the EENT reception desk. The soldier will then be placed on a short waiting list (usually between 1-4 months) - when their turn arrives they will be contacted via email or phone to schedule screening. If the applicant wears contact lenses, they must stop wearing the contact lenses as soon as the packet has been submitted.

Several criteria must be met to be eligible for CRS: (1) the soldier must have a stable glasses prescription for at least one year - this can only be established if we have a glasses prescription determined by an Army eye doctor that is at least one year old. If you're not sure if you have a prescription that is at least one year old with an Army eye doctor, bring in a copy of a glasses prescription from any other eye doctor that is at least one year old. (2) The soldier must have 18 months left Active Duty FROM THE DATE OF THE SURGERY. (3) The soldier must have 4 months left at Fort Polk prior to PCS or deployment FROM THE DATE OF THE SURGERY. (4) Other criteria regarding the soldier's eyes and overall health will be checked for when they come in for screening. Not everyone is a safe candidate for the procedure - that is why we have the rigorous screening.

Refractive Surgery Packet (Click to download)