May 5, 2025

When it comes to vision correction surgery, it often can feel like there are more questions than solutions. No one understands that more than Dr. Vance Thompson, founder and CEO of Vance Thompson Vision. That’s why, along with providing these solutions, he and his team are dedicated to clearing up any confusion surrounding the subject for interested patients.

“When you’re doing something that has permanency to it, it’s so important to educate yourself on your options,” Thompson said.

At Vance Thompson Vision, he and his team emphasize the importance of patient education by providing the community with various resources – including Clear Answers About Clearer Vision, a free monthly vision correction session held in-person on the first Tuesday of each month, with a virtual session available every Thursday.

“Education is the foundation of all areas of medicine,” he said. “We try to have multiple ways for them to get the information.”

If you’re at the beginning of your vision correction journey, Thompson and his staff recommend you start by talking with your eye doctor.

“They know you, your personality, your prescription and vision history, and they’re oftentimes really up to date on this stuff, and so it’s good to get their opinion,” he said.

Patients can visit the Vance Thompson Vision website for further information. The clinic also has an experienced phone team that answers questions and can put patients in touch with knowledgeable staff members.

“Probably the best option is to set up a consultation,” Thompson said.

“In that consultation, we learn about the specific measurements of their eyes and learn about their hopes and dreams, and then tell them, based on our experience, what we would do if we were them.”

Thompson said the preferred way to learn is through in-person experiences, and the free Clear Answers About Clearer Vision sessions provide just that every month. While the sessions might seem new to some, Thompson said this method is actually a little old school.

“What’s been interesting in my journey is that this is the way we always used to do it,” he said. “I mean, the web and doing internet research grew during my journey. And so for a while, it was mostly in person, and then it was a combination, and then it seemed like it was mostly web education prior to coming in for a consultation.”

Despite the desire for people to get their answers online, Thompson said the inspiration for these sessions came from a renewed interest for in-person discussions.

“It’s really been enjoyable and fun to see people hungry for that,” he said. Not only do the sessions provide people a great opportunity to ask experienced ophthalmologists questions, but also they can hear a wide variety of inquiries coming from people in different demographics.

“We find there’s young people learning about their laser and implant options, and there’s middle age, and there’s older people. So it’s fun to be teaching all age groups about their best options.”

Vance Thompson Vision hosts the sessions in person at the Sioux Falls clinic at 3101 W. 57th St. on the first Tuesday of the month at 11:30 a.m. and online every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. These sessions help drive Vance Thompson Vision’s larger mission to educate patients and colleagues worldwide.

“That has been really rewarding for me and my partners,” Thompson said. “Because when you go to educate other surgeons in other parts of the world, you think about all the patients that’s going to influence to have better eye care, eye surgery in their region. We not only do a lot of in-person education around the world, but we also do a lot of writing and teaching virtually.”

When it comes to providing people with clear vision solutions or information about their options, Thompson said he enjoys delivering both in equal measure.

“That is really the joy of medicine — educating someone to the point where the anxiety they’re feeling drops,” he said.

“You can see the lights go on that everything’s going to be OK and they have great options.”

If you have questions or are curious if you are a candidate for vision correction, call your eye doctor to learn more through a consultation at Vance Thompson Vision. To schedule, call us 605-361-EYES (3937). The Clear Answers About Clear Vision sessions are held every month in person on the first Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at 3101 W. 57th St. and virtually on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. Visit here to learn more and register.