Last STEP

from Area Woman Magazine Apr/May '18

by Lake & Home Magazine | Area Woman Magazine

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Saving Vision When No One Else Can

Blackness.

That’s all Alberta Nelson could see out of her right eye when she woke up one Tuesday morning last October. Three days later, her ophthalmologist referred her to Retina Consultants in Fargo, where Nelson was seen by Dr. Marina Gilca that same afternoon. Gilca assessed her condition and recommended retina repair surgery to save Nelson’s vision.

And she operated on Nelson the next business day.

Nelson describes Gilca as a breath of fresh air. “It was nice to have a doctor who told you what was going on, what she was going to do and what you needed to do,” Nelson says. “I understood it was going to be a process for the vision to come back.”

Several weeks later, Nelson, who lives in Fargo, experienced a strange sensation in her eye that she didn’t know how to describe. “Dr. Gilca no more had time to see me that day than the man in the moon, but she worked me in,” Nelson says. “She’s caring and compassionate, and she follows up immediately.”

Nelson is thankful for the vision she has regained and looks forward to complete restoration.

“The retina specialist fixes things no one else can fix,” Gilca says. “You save someone’s vision. Nothing beats being able to help them.”

Gilca is the only female fellowship-trained retina physician in North Dakota. She is grateful for the women before her who have pierced this traditionally male-dominated field. Retina specialists perform some of the most delicate surgeries in the world, handling tissue thinner than a butterfly wing, according to the American Society of Retina Specialists website.

Some might say Gilca could not escape her destiny of becoming a doctor, as several of her near relatives practice medicine. As a child growing up in Canada, she resisted such a career, watching her mother, an infectious disease specialist, and her father, a public health specialist, work long days and respond to calls after hours.

“Then I realized it is very rewarding to help others,” Gilca says.

She also discovered she was good with her hands. Ophthalmology provided Gilca with the perfect combination of medicine and surgery, with the retina subspecialty requiring very precise small maneuvers. In the clinic, Gilca administers intravitreal injections and laser therapy. In surgery, Gilca uses both hands while her feet operate pedals that control the surgical microscope and vitrectomy machine.

Such skills are honed through years of training. Gilca earned her medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and completed her ophthalmology internship and residency at the University of Montreal. She finished her twoyear vitreoretinal surgery and disease fellowship in Chicago with Rush University Medical Center and Illinois Retina Associates.

In October 2017, Gilca joined Dr. Craig Mason and Dr. Max Johnson with Retina Consultants, which was opened in 1988 by Johnson. Its cutting-edge technology and facility and highly trained team of more than 30 professionals made the decision a “no-brainer.” Gilca felt drawn to Fargo because of its Midwestern values, four seasons and lack of traffic. She endured long commutes in Montreal and Chicago.

“I wanted a community small enough where I could actually bring in my specialized skills and have a far-reaching impact,” Gilca says.

Gilca’s childhood travels with her parents to medical conferences inspired a love for travel and language. She speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Romanian, her parents’ mother tongue. Gilca also enjoys rock climbing, Olympic weight lifting, spinning, cooking and baking. She and her husband are enjoying exploring Fargo and its surrounding areas. They have been charmed by downtown Fargo’s centralized historic core and look forward to the re-opening of the farmers markets this summer.

Her fast-paced, unpredictable and often emergency-filled workday is mentally and physically demanding, but Gilca is energized knowing that she is her patients’ last step to save their vision.