U.S. bobsled capt. had eyesight saved

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- An Olympic athlete's story is raising awareness of a new medical procedure for an eye condition that affects millions worldwide, a eye surgeon says.

Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler of the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute in Beverly Hills, Calif., got a surprise inundation of requests from around the world for information about a treatment that saved U.S. bobsledder Steve Holcomb's eyesight.

Holcomb went from going blind due to the degenerative eye condition Keratoconus to having his vision restored with a breakthrough medical procedure called C3-R, Wachler says.

Holcomb's coaches and the U.S. Olympic Committee weren't ready to give up on their best driver and they researched C3-R, a relatively new procedure at the time.

"Previously, the only treatment for severe Keratoconus was a cornea transplant," Wachler says in a statement. "This is why C3-R is being seen as such a breakthrough. C3-R is non-surgical. It uses vitamin applications and light to strengthen the cornea. C3-R can cure the disease without the need for a cornea transplant. The treatment only takes 30 minutes and can be done in a doctor's office."

Wachler has treated numerous Keratoconus patients with C3-R in the last six years but the global standard is a cornea transplant, which can be painful and carries the risk of rejection.