Saying that wearing glasses or contact lenses can be unsafe for troops in combat, a vision center is offering free corrective eye surgery for military personnel headed for Iraq or Afghanistan.

The University Hospitals Health System's Laser Vision Center has already provided the free laser surgery for five active duty military personnel and says it will perform it for 24 more before the spring.

Loree Vick, University Hospitals spokeswoman, said the vision center staff thought the free surgery was a good early Christmas present for those heading back into combat in coming months.

"It's a way of thanking them for their military service in Iraq and Afghanistan," she said. "Working in those extreme environments, glasses or contact lenses could be unsafe as well as compromising to their mission. So the offer of laser surgery to help them prepare for their missions was a natural."

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