ASHLEY HILL SEES HER FUTURE IN SLAYTON TAKES OVER EYE CLINIC

eyecare business when she bought out the Slayton location of Heartland Eyecare Center and opened Clear Eyecare in Slayton. Hill has known the importance of good vision for most of her life and is thrilled for the opportunity to continue offering quality eyecare services in her hometown — the dream for quite a while, so it’s nice to be able to do that,” Hill said. “I’ve had glasses since I was very young. My first eye doctor was Dr. Keith Winter — he owned this practice many years ago — so now I’ve kind of come full circle.”

While Hill had her own eyecare needs at an early age, it was during her college years that she really became intrigued with optometry. “I had done some shadowing in undergrad and started working in a clinic,” she said. “I was fascinated with it.” Hill completed her undergraduate degree at the University of South Dakota and earned her Optometry Doctorate from Indiana University School of Optometry in 2019. She then moved back to the Slayton area with her husband, Erik, who is a dentist at Smile Designers in Marshall. The couple also has an 11-monthold son named Bauer.

“Slayton is home and that’s why I wanted to have my own business here,” Hill said. “Clear Eyecare used to be Heartland Eyecare Center, which had four locations — Canby, Dawson, Marshall and Slayton.” Hill had immediately joined Heartland Eyecare’s Slayton team when she moved back to the area with her husband in 2019, so she has the added benefits of knowing most of the patients and all of the staff already when the transfer took place at the beginning of this year 2023. “I’m familiar with the patients and the staff, so that has made for a smooth transition,” she said. “It’s the same practice, for the most part, so our services all stay the same, too.” Clear Eyecare offers comprehensive eye exams, pediatric eye exams, surgical co-management, contact lens exams and ocular disease management as well. “Disease management includes glaucoma, dry eye and macular degeneration,” Hill said. “Surgical co-management oftentimes involves LASIK or cataracts. It’s nice because people may have to go out of town for the surgery, but we can keep them in town for the pre-op and postop for those.” Hill also rents out the office one day a month to an ophthalmologist/surgeon from Avera Marshall who provides services at the eyecare location. “He can see specialty things if people need,” Hill said. “We’re lucky to have him come. He does surgeries at the hospital here in town, too.”

Like so many other industries, eyecare is constantly changing and adapting as new technologies and trends develop. That’s a good thing for patients. “Good eyesight just gives so much to the quality of life, no matter what the age,” Hill said. “We want to make sure people are having maximum vision for the majority of their life. From glasses to contacts to treatment of disease and products, technology is always progressing, and we use the latest technology to make sure people are seeing their best.” Hill explained that a lot of eye diseases are sneaky, to where people think they have good vision until the disease has progressed further. Consistent check-ups and early detection are key. “We want to detect it early before it becomes visionimpacting,” she said.

Clear Eyecare is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. An appointment for an exam can be made by calling 507-836-6784 or through the website at www.cleareyecaremn. com. An appointment isn’t necessary for adjustments or ordering glasses. Patients are welcome to stop in at Clear Eyecare, located at 2601 20th Street, located on Highway 30 next to VIP Floral any time.