SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Clear vision is an important part of life. For some people, glasses and contacts help make that possible. But those aids can sometimes get in the way of daily life.

It’s an exciting day for Mike Harstad. Soon he will no longer need glasses.

“Really looking forward to it, I’ve worn glasses for 35 years, contacts for the last 20 or so,” patient, Mike Harstad said.

Thanks to Doctor Alison Tendler at ART Vision, Harstad is getting Lasik vision correction.

Harstad is receiving this procedure as a gift from Doctor Tendler. She says she wants to give something back to the community.

“With our initiative with the Refractive Surgery Alliance I committed to provide a service to somebody in our community who provides service to us and the service that I was able to provide was to give somebody refractive surgery so that they could hopefully do their service job and as well as live their life better,” physician, Alison Tendler said.

Harstad is the fire chief for the Crooks Fire Department and also works in sales at a different company. Contacts and glasses can sometimes make it difficult to do his job.

“It’s very physical, a lot of the activities that we do between helmets and face masks and all the various things, it’s a challenge, so in the past if I want to put on a breathing apparatus and go in a burning building or something, I need to do that without my glasses,” Harstad said.

Something he will no longer have to worry about.

“It will certainly make things a lot easier for me,” Harstad said.

“It’s a way for me to be able to give back and improve his safety as he’s doing his job to keep us safe,” Tendler said.

July was Global Vision Correction month.