WWE Star Natalya Details Years-Long Battle With Vision Issues

In the wrestling industry, it's rare to see any wrestler come out unscathed. Damage can take its toll and cause growing concerns about how long one can compete before the wheels fall off. While some may be vocal about their nagging injuries, some remain silent on the matter, like WWE star Natalya. For the first time in her career, the former two-time Women's Champion spoke about suffering from astigmatism, a common eye condition that causes diminished and blurred vision. It felt like an everlasting fight she thought she couldn't win, until now.

"I don't think even really anybody in WWE knew about it because I kept it pretty secretive," Natalya told "Sports Illustrated." "I was born with astigmatism ... I was legally blind in my left eye." Growing concerns about not being able to see out of her left eye were discussed on "Total Divas" in 2015, with Natalya confiding in her friends/co-stars Alicia Fox, Layla, and Rosa Mendes that she was unable to see their faces or movements up close or even far away. Natalya noted in her monologue, "I'm starting to realize that something is definitely not right with my left eye. It seems to be getting worse lately."

After countless trips to doctors, specialists, and surgeons after making that statement, the only temporary solution she got was contact lenses, but even those were not the be-all, end-all cure, as she recalled seeing double vision. With that, she decided to make her right eye do all of the work, causing even more of a strain on her vision.

Just as hope to fix Natalya astigmatism was doubtful, it was during this summer that a blessing arrived for the veteran. While negotiating her new contract extension with WWE, Natalya sought help from the company, which directed her to Newsom Eye, the miracle worker who gave her the 20/20 vision she had been waiting for since birth.

"I had a little time off this summer in between my contract re-signing. And I was like, if I had this time off, I'm going to ask WWE if I can get this fixed because I went and found an eye doctor," Natalya mentioned. "Newsom Eye in Tampa. They had the technology that they didn't have before." With new advances and more cases of similar conditions like Natalya's, Newsom Eye performed an EVO ICL implant surgery, a less invasive, reversible, and perfect solution for anyone suffering from damaged vision. Natalya noted that the work wasn't only done on her left eye but also on her right, which she said has been much stronger since the surgery.

"I had surgery in my right eye to get (it) even stronger so that my right eye (and) my left eye are totally in sync with each other," Natalya added. Since her return in September, "The Queen of Harts" has been more robust than before. She has collected three straight wins against Pure Fusion Collective (Shayna Baszler, Sonya Deville, and Zoey Stark) and former WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn).