Life-Changing Vision Surgery

My name is Rosemary Meister, I grew up in Milbank, South Dakota. I've lived here in Brookings since I was married in 1969, and I've stayed here ever since. In my free time I love to read. I'm a very avid reader. And I also like to do jigsaw puzzles. When you come to my house, you'll always see a jigsaw puzzle on my dining room table that I'm working on.  
 
How was your vision before surgery?

 My peripheral vision especially was kind of bad, and my eyelids drooped more on the sides, and so when I was driving I would quite often...I actually have to really turn my head to see. And I often felt like my eyes were like a shade half-drawn. You couldn't...you could see out the bottom, but not necessarily out the top. It's just bothersome. And I'll tell you something that was really silly probably, but when I was at home alone and I would like to read, I would take some paper tape and tape my eyelids up and attach the tape to my forehead. And it really helped me to read better.  
 
So it was at the point where it was getting really bothersome.

Why did you choose Dr. Minton?

I knew I was gonna have to have something done sooner or later, and it just so happens when it was getting to the bad part, there was an article in The Brookings Register about Dr. Minton coming to Brookings. The article was quite a long article and told all about him and the things that he did, and I just was excited when I read that article because I thought, oh, I'm gonna go see him. And then it was...I think it was after the first of the year after that article was written that I made an appointment to go see him.  
 
It just seemed like God was doing something good at that time and... for me anyway, by bringing him to Brookings. That's what it felt like.

Why did you feel confident in Dr. Minton?

When I went to see him, you know, I asked him how much experience he'd had with this, and he'd had a lot, a lot of experience. So I was...I wanted to be sure that I had somebody that really had done it many, many times. So...and he had, and he was very, very good.  
 
What do you remember from surgery?

Very, very easy. I did not have to be put out, so I was conscious through the whole thing, and it was a piece of cake. There was nothing, nothing to it, and I had no pain, very, very little pain afterwards. I don't remember that when I went home that my eyes necessarily hurt very much. I had a lot of stitches. It didn't look very pretty, but he did a great job. He really did.  
 
How has your vision improved after surgery?

Oh, I don't have any trouble at all, no. Reading or driving is perfect. I just can't say enough good about Dr. Minton. He did great, did a great job. 
 
Absolutely it changed my vision and how I could read and driving. My peripheral vision is much better.  
 
Would you recommend Dr. Minton?

Absolutely. He was wonderful. Very, very wonderful. I'm very happy with him. I wouldn't hesitate to go to him again. It did. It really did change my life for the better. Like I say, I think God was doing something when I saw that article in The Register. He was...he was helping, giving me a helping hand.  
 
Would you recommend Brookings Health System?

Brookings Health System is wonderful. It is such an asset to our city. It just keeps improving all the time, and now especially with the new hospital and their private rooms and whatnot. I wouldn't hesitate. In fact, I won't go to Sioux Falls anymore. I will try the Brookings Health System first.