Nov. 11, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Vance Thompson Vision.

Before concerns about his vision, there was only one range Mike Dooley focused on.

“People used to take me golfing with them,” Dooley said. “Not because I was a good golfer but because I could see where their ball landed.”

For most of his life, Dooley, now retired, prided himself on having 20/20 vision. In more recent years, he has noticed his vision slipping — especially while driving.

“When I read traffic signs or street signs, it was frustrating because I couldn’t see them as well as I had previously. And if you’ve had 20/20 vision your entire life, it’s incredibly frustrating.”

Until that point, the only vision correction he relied on was his reading glasses.

“I’ve had reading glasses since I was 40,” he said.

“I progressively used stronger reading glasses as I got older, but it didn’t affect anything at work because I was using computers — so it was right there in front of me.”

After a brief consultation with his eye doctor, he set his sights on a solution: Vance Thompson Vision.

“Vance and I have known each other since we were young,” he said.

“We went to high school, then college, where we played little flag football together. Because I knew him and his accomplishments and commitment to research and innovation in eye care, I knew he was a great eye surgeon and had pioneered techniques and technologies in the field, so there was no other choice.”

This personal connection made stopping in all the more easy for Dooley because he wasn’t seeing just any ophthalmologist — he was seeing an old friend.

“Everything was really smooth,” he said of his visit. “I didn’t wait around long for anything.”

After his consultation, Thompson popped in to check on his friend.

“He told me, ‘You can’t see anything at night,’ which is true. My night vision was horrible. It’s already dark because you have cataracts in front of you, and then multiply that. I had 20/60 vision at night.”

Dooley underwent cataract surgery, and not long after his procedures, the difference in his vision was like night and day, he said.

“I looked up at the sky and thought: ‘Wow. The sky is really blue!’ The surgery actually made it (his vision) a lot more clear. It’s nice going into a restaurant and not worrying if I forgot my glasses. I can read the menus now.”

Today, Dooley is back to frequenting the golf course with his friends.

“I still get to go golfing — now I see better.” While he said he still can’t drive a ball, driving his car is a whole different game.

“I can read my dash on my car, and that’s so nice!” he exclaimed.

“Looking in my rearview mirror — in the newer cars, you know how they have the camera that shows up — I couldn’t see it without my reading glasses. It was all blurry. Now, I can look in that rearview mirror, and everything’s nice and clear.”

While he won’t boast about his golf skills, Dooley said turning to Vance Thompson Vision was like scoring a hole-in-one.

“I would definitely do it again,” he said. “If somebody is dealing with those issues, get in, check it out and figure out a way to fix your eyes. It actually takes the stress off you.”

As Dr. Vance Thompson said, “It is such an honor to educate patients like Mike about the best modern-day cataract surgery options for their life activities, then deliver that surgery and see the joy in their eyes with their new vision.”

If you are wondering if your vision could be better or want to find out if you or someone you know is a candidate for advanced cataract surgery, call your eye doctor, or learn more through a consultation at Vance Thompson Vision. Ready to schedule your consultation? Call us at 605-361-EYES (3997), or visit vancethompsonvision.com.