Oct 22, 2007 11:22 pm US/Central
Minn. Surgeon Has 'Vision' For Supporting Troops
(WCCO)
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Dr. Neal Sher has performed PRK surgery on a couple dozen soldiers and Marines. He knows he's giving them something they can use.
CBS
Talking to past generations, grandparents or great grandparents, and they'll tell you how they sacrificed during World War II. Now one Minnesota doctor is using his vision to help support troops of today.
Neal Sher's Dad served in World War II.
"He ended up in the Pacific for four years," said Sher said. Looking at old pictures, he points out his father, "He's the tall one."
Sher's uncles fought, too. During the Vietnam War, it was his turn to serve, but he didn't see any combat.
"You go where you're told," said Sher. "I was told to go to Bethesda."
For three years, Sher worked in the public health service. Fast forward 31 years and Neal Sher is
Doctor Neal Sher, a Twin Cities eye surgeon, internationally recognized as an expert in laser eye correction.
"It's not cheap," said Sher. "It's beyond the limits of what some people can afford."
Vision correction procedures are expensive, but extraordinary. Photorefractive keratectomy, called PRK, uses a laser to resurface the cornea. Unlike Lasik, there's no flap cut in the eye.
"The military does some of this but they have a priority list," explained the eye surgeon. "Most of the people we see here in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the surrounding areas are in the Guard, in the Reserves, and they're sort of at the lower end of the military pecking order."
Sgt. Tyler Fields is one of those guys. During his first deployment in Iraq, Fields carried spare sets of glasses.
"Just in case I'd have to switch out so I could see and do my job proficiently," said Fields. "Otherwise, I would put someone else's life in risk."
Scheduled to return to Iraq last year, Fields was determined to get vision correction surgery.
"If you're going to be constantly doing patrols, glasses can get in the way," he said.
When he called Sher's office, he found out the surgeon, along with the Phillips Eye Institute, would do the surgery for free.
"I was really impressed that a doctor would do that," said Fields. He's not the only one.
Sher has performed PRK surgery on a couple dozen soldiers and Marines. He knows he's giving them something they can use.
"To be able to see really helps your ability to be a soldier and to survive and to do your job," he said.
Here's what one grateful dad told Sher in a letter:
"I have been meaning to write and thank you once again for your gift to my son … My worst fears were realized when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Although he was seriously wounded, I was so thankful he did not have to deal with the potential loss of glasses or contacts, which could have been fatal. Again we thank you."
Fortunately, when Fields returned for his checkup, he didn't have any stories like that to share. But make no mistake, the surgery made a difference. Fields felt safer performing his duties.
"I didn't have to second guess anything," he said. "This way, I just put on the goggles and I'm good."
If Fields sends his army buddies Sher's way, that's fine with the ophthalmologist.
"They're asked to sacrifice a lot. It's the least we can do," said Sher.
The least he can do is actually quite a lot -- helping troops keep a watchful eye and hopefully see their way home.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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