Doctors & Staff

Hale M. Kell, OD, FAAO

Dr. Hale Kell grew up in nearby Estes Park. After graduating from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Biology, he received his Doctor of Optometry degree, with honors, from the Southern California College of Optometry in 1990. After completing an additional year-long residency/fellowship in ocular disease in Denver, Dr. Kell was a Staff Optometrist at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He then served as Clinic Director of the VEF Eye Center in Oklahoma City before coming to Louisville in 1992. He has been a frequent lecturer and has been published in optometric literature. Dr. Kell and his family live in the Louisville area. Dr. Kell is a past recipient of the Young Optometrist of the Year Award from the Colorado Optometric Association. Dr. Kell is an active member of the American Optometric Association, Colorado Optometric Association, Front Range Optometric Society, Colorado Optometric Glaucoma Society, and he is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

                                               Cindy J. Beeks, OD
Dr. Cindy Beeks received an undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming and a secondary school teaching credential from California State University before obtaining her Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1994. After completing a residency/fellowship with the VA Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, she joined the Laser Institute of the Rockies as Clinical Director. During her five-year tenure with the Laser Institute of the Rockies, Dr. Beeks was responsible for building a co-management network of optometrists, as well as directing one of the area's largest refractive surgery clinics. Dr. Beeks has been honored as Colorado's Young Optometrist of the year for 2001 and is a previous Colorado Optometric Association Board of Trustees member. She has been widely published in various optometric and scientific journals and has lectured at numerous regional, national and international optometric conferences. Dr. Beeks has been an on-site sub-investigator for a number of FDA laser trials, is an adjunct professor at Pacific University College of Optometry, and is a member of the International Society of Refractive Surgery and the Optometric Refractive Surgery Society. In addition, Dr. Beeks is an active member of the American Optometric Association, Colorado Optometric Association, and the Front Range Optometric Society.

Heather Gitchell, OD
Dr. Heather Gitchell moved to Colorado in 2000 after graduating from Keene State College in Keene, NH with a B.S. in Biology and after completing a research fellowship at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD at the National Institutes of Health. She received her Doctor of Optometry degree, with honors, from Pacific University College of Optometry in 2005, and completed an additional year-long residency/fellowship in ocular pathology and surgical co-management in Denver. She continued practicing as a consultative optometrist at a referral center, where she treated all acute and chronic ocular diseases. She has been published in both scientific and optometric journals and is an active member of the American Optometric Association, the Colorado Optometric Association and Colorado Optometric Glaucoma Society.

                                    Brian E. Nichols, MD, PhD

Dr. Brian Nichols graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1995. He then completed his ophthalmology residency in 1999. This was followed by a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology also at the University of Iowa. Dr Nichols is board certified in Ophthalmology. He has a special interest in pediatric and adult strabismus as well as cataract and eyelid surgery. Dr. Nichols and his family live in east Boulder.

Professional and Friendly Staff

The doctors and staff of Front Range Eye Health Center welcome you to experience the professional and friendly environment of our office. Special attention is given to create a atmosphere where you will experience the latest technology for your eye health and vision evaluation in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. We continually update our eyeglass frame and contact lens selections to offer our patients the latest in fashion and lifestyle options. Our goal is to provide the optimum in visual, medical and surgical eyecare.

The Front Range Eye Health Center is committed to providing you and your family with a lifetime of healthy vision. Many eye problems are subtle, and may not initially affect your eyesight. It is important to have your eye health evaluated regularly, even if you feel that your vision is stable and are seeing well. If detected early, many sight threatening conditions can be treated before impairment occurs.