Possible Link Between LASIK and Suicide
A Detroit meteorologist’s death has raised concerns regarding potential side effects of LASIK eye surgery. Jessica Starr was a meteorologist for the city’s Fox television affiliate. She was 35 years old. She committed suicide, leaving behind a husband and two young children.
Starr underwent laser eye surgery in October. She had spoken out on Facebook about how difficult her recovery was and side effects she was dealing with.
I’m trying to stay strong and get through this recovery.”
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I’m back but still healing…
Posted by Jessica Starr on Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Thank you for all the well wishes and wondering where I’ve been. I am struggling a little bit so I need all those prayers and well wishes because this has been a hard go.”
More than 700,000 Americans have this elective surgery yearly. It takes about five minutes per eye and costs on average around $2,200 for each eye. The FDA says that that the vast majority of people who undergo refractive eye surgeries like LASIK and SMILE are “very pleased” with the results. The two procedures are similar but use different types of lasers. Starr had the surgery called “SMILE”, but the two are very similar and she referred to her surgery as SMILE and as LASIK.
While most people may be happy with the results Jessica Starr is not the first suicide to be linked to these surgeries. The treatment can cause side effects, the most common of those including dry eye, double vision, and halos. LASIK Complications is a website connected to a Facebook group that has more than 6,000 people in the group, many of whom claim to be dealing with side effects many years after the eye surgery. The website states to know of two people took their lives due to LASIK pain and many more who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.
In June, six months prior to Starr taking her own life, The New York Times reported on cases of painful side effects and vision anomalies resulting from these laser vision-correction surgeries. Chronic pain and blurred vision were experienced by patients after the procedure, and rarely the pain is reportedly so great that it drives patients to suicide.
There aren’t any statistics that we could find to show these surgeries to be of high risk, but as with virtually every medical procedure, there are some risks. If you’re considering LASIK or SMILE eye surgery, we recommend checking out the Shillington’s Eyebright Formula Product Review. Also, make sure your gut is healthy before the surgery, and make sure you continue to eat well for at least a few weeks after the surgery to allow the body to heal quickly.