May 15, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Vance Thompson Vision.

For most people, 60 seconds is simply another minute. For Andrew, a firefighter in Sioux Falls, 60 seconds can be the difference between life and death.

“When we receive a call at the fire station, we have only 60 seconds to suit up and leave the station,” he said. “If we’re delayed in leaving, really bad things can happen.”

Before Andrew had vision correction surgery at Vance Thompson Vision, part of his 60-second routine was finding his glasses, putting them in a hard case and getting them in the correct pocket while also trying to safely and quickly put on the rest of his suit.

“My helmet mask had a prescription for my vision, so I could see without my glasses. But a lot of calls we get require me to remove my helmet and help people. I needed my glasses for those visits. If I forgot them or couldn’t find them, I couldn’t see the people I was helping. I couldn’t do my job.”

For other first responders and health care workers, glasses and contacts can cause different problems, especially those caring for COVID-19 patients.

“When I’m caring for patients with COVID-19, I wear a PAPR ventilation mask around my face,”  said Lindsey, a nurse in Sioux Falls. “It can cause a lot of dry-eye issues for people wearing contact lenses because it’s constantly blowing air at your eyes.”

In addition to challenges with PAPR masks, Lindsey sees many doctors and nurses struggling with glasses that fog up while wearing masks or slide down their nose while they are working.

“They try to use their shoulder to nudge the glasses back into place. They don’t want to touch their faces and risk infections,” she said.

Thankfully, both Andrew and Lindsey feel safer and better able to do their jobs after vision correction surgery at Vance Thompson Vision. By reducing their need for glasses or contacts, they are free to focus on serving others.

“Best decision, 100 percent,” Andrew said. “My mom had LASIK at Vance Thompson Vision when I was 18. Then I had PRK. And since then, my brother also decided to have vision correction at Vance Thompson Vision. It’s the only place I’d consider for my eye surgery.”

Lindsey agrees.

“LASIK was worth every penny, and I had the greatest experience at Vance Thompson Vision. I used to struggle with dry eye, which made me miserable in contact lenses at the end of a long nursing shift,” she said. “Now, I no longer suffer from extreme dry eye, and I feel even more empowered to help patients.”

Vance Thompson Vision is proud to serve health care workers and first responders. Laser vision correction surgery can benefit anyone who wants to reduce or eliminate the use of glasses or contacts. Call 605-351-EYES (3937) to set up your LASIK consultation and learn about all of Vance Thompson’s technology and payment options.

Vance Thompson Vision has performed more than 100,000 eye procedures and now includes locations in six cities across the Midwest and Mountain West.