If, like 75 percent of the population, you were blessed with less than perfect vision, you are likely well aware of the inconvenience presented by glasses or contact lenses. For this reason, many choose to undergo Lasik eye surgery, the best known and most popular procedure to correct one’s vision. For eyes with normal vision, the cornea is able to refract light onto the retina, located in the back of the eye. However — in those afflicted with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism — light is bent incorrectly, and vision is subsequently blurred. Lasik eye surgery effectively reshapes the cornea using a specialized cutting laser to ensure this refraction is carried out correctly.
Around 700,000 of these procedures are performed annually. Furthermore, since Food and Drug Administration approval in 1999, over ten million Americans have undergone Lasik surgery, making it one of the most common elective surgeries on the market. Most consumers also appear pleased with their results; one literature review reports an average satisfaction rate of 95.4 percent worldwide. Overall, public perception tends to view Lasik as a simple procedure with favorable outcomes. Though the data appears to support this perception, the exceptions to this rule may not be well known.
Lasik surgery is capable of causing some of the afflictions it’s designed to correct.
Possible unintended negative effects of Lasik may include dry eyes, cornea damage, light sensitivity, double vision, astigmatism, worsened vision, or even vision loss. In addition, these effects can be permanent. In short, Lasik surgery is capable of causing some of the afflictions it’s designed to correct. According to the American Refractive Surgery Council, the chances of these side effects occurring are rare — less than one percent, in fact. However, there have been some cases where the advent of these complications was devastating — and even deadly.
There are several notable cases of Lasik patients having catastrophic complications which change their lives irrevocably. Most people who undergo the surgery typically resume normal activities within a few days. Tragically, for Jessica Starr, a meteorologist from Michigan, it was only two months after her procedure that she ultimately ended her own life. Her husband said in an interview with Fox Two Detroit that she did not struggle with depression prior to her surgery. However, it wasn’t long after surgery that Jessica knew something wasn’t right. Though she sought advice from numerous medical professionals, her husband explained that she felt that her eyes and brain weren’t communicating like they used to. In her note to her family, she explicitly stated that her decision to end her life was connected to her Lasik surgery.
There have been some cases where the advent of these complications was devastating — and even deadly.
Jessica is unfortunately not the only documented case of suicide following Lasik eye surgery. According to the Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research, literature reviews using popular research databases revealed six other people also found to have committed suicide following the surgery. In one case report in the Open Journal of Ophthalmology, a young man who underwent the surgery to correct nearsightedness in both eyes developed dryness and irritation after the procedure. He attempted to seek help for his symptoms and burgeoning depression, though weeks later he took his own life.
To bring awareness to this issue, a multitude of online support groups have become forums for discussion. One such example is lasikcomplications.com, on which the researchers found 34 patients who reportedly either attempted or completed suicide following the surgery. The website contains many categories of issues, from dry eyes and infection to more debilitating symptoms such as cataracts, nerve damage, depression, and even suicide. The possibility for exaggeration or misinformation on such websites is obviously abundant, though the confirmed cases of suicidality are hard to ignore. The website contains an abundance of stories from patients experiencing debilitating consequences from their surgeries, many ending in attempted or completed suicide.
Regardless of one’s own view on Lasik eye surgery, there appears to be a clear disconnect between the advertised complication rates and the personal anecdotes of those who have had the procedure. Debates on the truthfulness of these testimonials aside, more investigation should be done to uncover why this gap exists. As with any other medical procedure, potential complications should be clarified and broadcasted accordingly.
Ophthalmology (2009). DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.037
Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research (2020). DOI: 10.18502/jovr.v15i3.7464
Open Journal of Ophthalmology (2015). DOI: 10.4236/ojoph.2015.53022
