Eye to eye, Creech opens new optometry clinic

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Adawn Kelsey
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada-- --  The Creech Medical Aid Station now offers optometry services to all personnel assigned to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, every Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The services are available to all personnel assigned to the base and will be limited to the following:
- Routine eye examinations for glasses
- Acute visits (pink eye, scratched eye, foreign body, sudden vision deficit)
- Limited contact lens prescription renewals (Only renewed if patient has an existing prescription on file or a copy of written prescription, and if a patient has the contact lenses with them. There will be no contact lenses stocked at the Creech Medical Aid station to do new fits or refits.)
- Follow-up exams

The equipment needed for waivers after refractive surgery will be available at Creech, however, pre-operation testing and any other special testing that cannot be provided at Creech will still be performed at the Nellis Optometry Clinic.

"The optometry clinic provides routine eye exams and orders glasses and inserts for active duty members at Creech," said Maj. Ivy Madson, 99th Air Base Squadron optometry flight commander "Many members require vision correction for their-day-to day duties. Eye exams are vital for deployment readiness and mission capability, [and we support that] by providing proper vision correction and [helping patients] maintain good ocular health."

The optometrists will be able to complete the exam elements required for most vision waivers. There are many waiverable conditions and some require specialty testing. Those needing  specialized tests will be referred to the main clinic at Nellis.

"Optometrists will be able to do exam requirements for waivers, but the flight doctors will still be the ones that initiate and write waiver summaries," Madson said. "We will not be able to 'take members off waivers' as this is done at the discretion flight medicine and/or major command level reviewers. We simply perform the testing needed."

Appointments can be scheduled through the central appointment booking clerks and there is no need for a referral.  Patients must tell the booking clerk that they are assigned to Creech AFB and wish to be seen by Creech Optometry. All follow-up exams will be scheduled by the clinic at DSN 348-3010 or 702-653-3010.