Cost-benefit analysis report recommends military service members receive regular comprehensive eye exams
Model simulations conducted in part to assess net monetary benefit found that comprehensive eye examinations every 3 years were more cost effective than less frequent examinations.
Image credit: AdobeStock/ViacheslavYakobchuk
A recent report conducted by nonprofit research organization RAND found that developing a policy requiring periodic comprehensive eye examinations for all military service members would benefit military readiness, rather than conducting basic visual acuity screenings. Although comprehensive eye examinations require additional costs, the report cited that its benefits outweigh any cost concerns.1
Report authors are listed as Raffaele Vardavas, PhD, MSci; Philip Armour, PhD; Sai Prathyush Katragadda, MS; Toyya Pujol-Mitchell, PhD; Pedro Nascimento de Lima, PhD; Baqir Fateh; Helin Hernandez, PhD; Stacey Yi, PhD candidate; Javier Rojas Aguilera; and Catria Gadwah-Meaden; PhD candidate.1
“The RAND report objectively and clearly shows that baseline and routine comprehensive eye exams by a doctor of optometry provide cost savings to the Department of Defense,” said Lindsay Wright, executive director of the Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services, in an American Optometric Association (AOA) news release.2 “We would also argue that a policy requiring periodic comprehensive eye examinations is the morally right thing to do by our military members.”
The report cites that service members are at high risk for ocular and visual dysfunctions, particularly those secondary to traumatic brain injuries. However, current screening processes target the detection and addressing of refractive errors like myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. “As such, other ocular and visual dysfunctions that service members are at risk for may go undiagnosed and untreated,” the report stated. Report authors then urge for comprehensive eye examinations that would work to detect a larger range of dysfunctions, including dry eye, glaucoma, keratoconus, corneal dystrophies, retinal dystrophies, refractive errors, and traumatic brain injuries. As found in the report, these dysfunctions can significantly affect readiness, performance, and overall wellbeing of service members.1
“The RAND study found that service members who have an undiagnosed visual dysfunction, on average, are less productive, and this diminishes their visual readiness value they add to the force,” Capt Todd Lauby, OD, chief of the Defense Health Agency’s Vision Center of Excellence and a subject matter expert for the report, said in the release.2
The report also worked to calculate the net monetary benefit of comprehensive eye examinations among a simulated group of 1000 service members from accession through up to 40 years of service. This net monetary benefit was calculated by the additional monetary benefit by these examinations minus the additional costs associated for said examinations. Research authors created a model to assess these cost-benefits at each service member’s accession and at 3, 5, and 8 years, conducting 300 simulations for each scenario. Results from the model simulations found that eye examinations every 3 years were more cost effective than less frequent exams.1
“Military vision readiness is essential to ensure that service members have the visual fitness required to perform their mission successfully, maintain deployability and serve without duty limitations,” said Lauby in the release.2 “Optimizing vision is critical to the survivability of the warfighter and the lethality they project.”
References:
Vardavas R, Armour P, Prathyush Katragadda S, et al. Cost-benefit analysis of comprehensive military eye examination policies. RAND. Accessed December 19, 2024.
Benefits of regular comprehensive eye exams reinforced in analysis of military exams. News release. American Optometric Association. December 13, 2024. Accessed December 19, 2024.
