Nearsighted Nutritionist Calls ICL Surgery The 'Best Gift'
By Kathy Walsh
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A young woman with terrible eyesight now has perfect vision without glasses or contacts.
Nikole Rachelson wasn't a candidate for laser surgery, so she opted to have corrective lenses implanted in a surgery called ICL, which stands for implantable collamer lens.
She says her vision is now better than she can ever remember.
Rachelson is a civil engineer by day and holistic nutritionist in her free time. For years, she has seen great results eating unprocessed foods, but it was only recently that she's been able to see everything more clearly.
"I'm extremely nearsighted," Rachelson told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
She wore contacts all the time.
"I was in pain all day, everyday when I wore my contacts," she explained.
She was hoping to get relief with laser eye surgery, Lasik or PRK.
"I told her that she was not a candidate," said Dr. Ronald Wise, Ophthalmologist at UCHealth Eye Center-LoDo.
But Wise and Dr. Michael Taravella, Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at UCHealth, could offer her ICLs.
Wise operated at UCHealth, inserting the corrective lenses behind Rachelson's iris and in front of her natural lens.
Before the surgery...
"What she could see without glasses would be about here," said Taravella putting his hand in front of his nose.
After the surgery...
"The next day she was 20/20," said Wise.
"It's the best gift anyone could have ever given to me, truthfully," Rachelson said.
The ICL procedure isn't covered by insurance. Taravella says it runs about $3,800 per eye, but Rachelson never looks back.
ICL was FDA approved in 2005. The lens is considered permanent, but can be removed if necessary. Not everyone is a candidate. Talk to your eye doctor.
LINKS: Visian ICL | UCHealth Eye Center - LoDo | Whole Nikole Nutrition
Kathy Walsh is CBS4's Weekend Anchor and Health Specialist. She has been with CBS4 since 1984. She is always open to story ideas. Follow Kathy on Twitter @WalshCBS4.