Winner of the Best Summer Ever Free LASIK Contest Announced

Jul 8th, 2011

Congratulations to Sgt. Michael Kirby of Bedford, Indiana!

Click here to hear Michael Kirby talk about his LASIK experience

Having perfect vision is critical for Michael Kirby to do his job. As a U.S. Army Sergeant, Kirby must be able to see clearly in order to use his weapon properly and to drive any vehicles necessary for his mission, whether he is at home responding to a natural disaster or overseas in a hostile territory. After returning from Iraq in 2009, Michael Kirby underwent an evaluation for LASIK to improve his vision. But, Kirby said his military insurance did not cover the procedure. Kirby, a father of five who commutes daily to Camp Atterbury, did not have the budget for to pay for LASIK. But now, two years later, Kirby will be receiving LASIK for free.

"I wish I knew what to say. I am in major shock and awe,â€ Kirby said via Facebook. "This is totally unbelievable and it makes me so happy I could cry! I would like to thank everyone for their support, whether by voting or by posting positive comments about the contest. It truly is a wonderful thing they have done and I wish we all could have won!â€

"We wanted to do something to give back to the community,â€ said Dr. Britt Brockman, Managing Partner and refractive specialist at John-Kenyon. "The number of participants and the nature of each of the entries were overwhelming. It was very difficult to narrow the pool of candidates. Each person had an emotional, compelling story about why he or she deserved free LASIK. We are so happy to be able to help Michael Kirby improve his vision.â€

The social media contest began on May 9,2011 and was available to John-Kenyon American Eye Institute Facebook fans and website visitors. Fans had three weeks to enter the contest online by filling out an application explaining how LASIK would make this "The Best Summer Ever.â€ John-Kenyon reviewed all of the entries and selected ten finalists for the public to vote for online. The ten finalists were announced on June 1, 2011. The public then had two weeks to vote for their favorite entry. The free LASIK winner was announced on June 17, 2011.

"One of the most rewarding aspects of this profession is helping people who have lost their vision or who have limited vision regain the ability to see clearly,â€ said Dr. Asim Piracha, Medical Director and refractive specialist at John-Kenyon. "We are so thankful for Michaelâ€™s service to our country and we are thrilled to be able to give him a chance to improve his vision.

Michael Kirby will undergo a LASIK evaluation on July 6, 2011. If he is determined to be a candidate for LASIK, he will then undergo the procedure the following day.

Michael Kirbyâ€™s full entry:

Winning free Lasik would do much more than make my SUMMER the best summer ever; it would make a dream come true! In 2009, after returning from Iraq, I went to the John Kenyon Eye Institute to see if I was an eligible candidate for Lasik. I was THRILLED when I found out I was and eagerly awaited my turn to schedule the surgery. As a soldier, my eyesight is imperative to my job. I must have perfect vision to carry and use my weapon and to drive any vehicles necessary to my mission, whether home helping with some sort of natural disaster or overseas in hostile territory. Not only that, but I have 5 small children to watch grow up. I donâ€™t want to miss a single thing that I donâ€™t have to miss. Sadly, when I was called back to schedule my appointment, we discovered that TriCare, our military insurance, would not cover the surgery. Needless to say, with 5 children and a daily commute to Camp Atterbury on our budget, I didnâ€™t have thousands of extra dollars laying around to pay for it. If I won this surgery, it would fulfill this soldierâ€™s greatest wish.