Jill Schramm/MDN The staff at Hill Eye Clinic are, from left, Danielle Nelson, Darren Hill, Tiffany Baric and Julie Seier.

It’s been many years since an independent ophthalmology clinic operated in Minot. Dr. Darren Hill decided last year that reintroducing the concept could enhance the healthcare offerings in the community.

“I think it’s a big deal again. Until you need ophthalmology care, you don’t really think about it, but when you do, it’s nice to have options,” Hill said.

Hill Eye Clinic opened last July in the Dakota Square Mall area at 1505 24th Ave. SW.

A California native, Hill moved around the country in completing his medical training as an ophthalmologist. He then came to Minot to join Trinity Health, where he worked for five years before opening his clinic.

“I realized that we wanted to stay here, and I wanted to have an opportunity to provide something a little different than what patients already had,” Hill said.

He said he still offers services that include cataract surgery, eye injections, eyelid procedures and eye emergency care. But the scenario differs from a hospital-based setting.

He explained his clinic keeps wait times for appointments and time spent in a waiting room shorter, but time spent with the doctor is unrushed.

“It’s an opportunity to provide a comfortable environment and a place where people can come and, hopefully, get seen faster and better,” Hill said. “I have set up this clinic in a way that I can take time with people.”

He also makes himself accessible to patients, who can call anytime and speak directly to him.

“I loved the people that I worked with at Trinity, but here we can do a lot of things better – just better service, faster,” he said. “Just providing people with a really good experience.”

Hill takes previous or new patients and patients of any age, whether dealing with chronic conditions or injury emergencies. Although referrals aren’t required, patients seeking care at Hill Eye Clinic typically are referred by their optometrists, who make the first diagnosis of conditions needing specialized care. Optometrists provide care such as vision testing and corrective lens fittings that ophthalmologists do not.

“We take care of medical and surgical beyond glasses,” Hill said. That can include glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal diseases or diabetes complications. Minor procedures are handled in-office while surgeries are performed at Dakota Medical, a Minot surgery center.

Having access to a surgical center made opening his clinic possible, Hill said. Cataract surgery is one of the most common reasons people see an ophthalmologist because cataracts affect everyone as part of the aging process, he said.

“I do offer a little bit of a different spectrum of options for being glasses-free after surgery,” Hill said of the multifocal lenses available for surgical placement in cataract patients. Standard lenses that generally are covered by insurance improve distance vision but still require reading glasses for near work, he said. However, he added, options are available that offer a wider range of general vision.

“It’s just a big market, so there’s a lot of research that goes into it,” Hill said. “There are always new lenses coming out, and I do try and stay on top of that.”