Patients who suffer from a serious long-term problem after undergoing laser eye surgery are speaking out – as doctors claim complications are more common than advertised.
Laser eye surgery, also called LASIK, is a vision correction procedure that uses a laser to reshape the inner cornea. About half a million Americans undergo the surgery each year.
A reported one percent of patients suffer serious complications, but some warn that this figure is underreported. In reality, up to 30 percent may experience serious problems.
Common negative effects include dry eyes, debris in the eye, double vision, and intense migraines.
One case was that of Gloria McConnell, who suffered debilitating complications so severe that she committed suicide at the age of 60. She had previously written that it “destroyed” her life.
Gloria McConnell (left), who worked at a Florida car dealership, underwent two LASIK procedures in 2019 to correct her nearsightedness. Serious complications arose a few weeks after the operation and she committed suicide at the age of 60. Robin Reeves (right), also from Florida, made delicate lace dresses for children and underwent LASIK after her glasses consistently got in the way. She told The Guardian: ‘It had to be zip, zap, and in a few weeks you’re cured and life goes on. But my life has been standing still since July 12 last year’
Nearly half of patients in a 2017 FDA clinical trial reported ‘new visual symptoms’ after Lasik, including double vision, glare, halos and starbursts — a series of rays emanating from bright lights
Dr. Morris Waxler, who served as the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) chief regulator for ophthalmic devices from 1996 to 2000, first warned against the procedure in 2008.
He oversaw the 1999 approval of the surgery, which was initially seen as a revolution for eye treatment.
However, he told DailyMail.com in 2019 that the FDA was not listening to testimonials or the “thousands” of complaints filed since then – making it “compliant” in these deaths.
a probe into an FDA database found more than 700 reports of extreme pain that was “worse than giving birth” after surgery.
A father who underwent the procedure committed suicide.
Dr. Morris Waxler was on the FDA advisory board that voted to approve LASIK surgery in 1996. Now he says it should be banned
The FDA guidance issued warned last year that LASIK patients should be aware of potential complications going into the procedure.
It also said there are “reports that some patients who have had LASIK have experienced severe depression or suicidality which they believe is due to post-procedure complications,” but added that a “definitive causal relationship … has not been established. ‘.
The draft guideline is still awaiting full approval before being enshrined as an FDA recommendation.
Nearly half of the patients in a FDA clinical trial 2017 reported “new visual symptoms” post-LASIK, including double vision, glare, halos, and starbursts — a series of rays emanating from bright lights.
Robin Reeves, from Florida, made delicate lace dresses for children and underwent LASIK after her glasses kept getting in the way.
Mrs. Reeves told The protector: ‘It should have been zip, zap, and in a few weeks you will be cured and life will go on. But my life has come to a standstill since July 12 last year.’
Dirt was left in her corneal flap, which destroyed her vision and left her with double vision, extreme migraines, and eye strain.
Mrs. Reeves was forced to stop working because of this.
Paula Cofer, of Tampa, Florida, testified to the FDA in 2008 and 2018 about her experience with Lasik.
She is the founder of a support group called Lasik Complications, which has more than 8,000 members and strives to educate potential patients about the risks of surgery.
The first night after her surgery, she went outside to look at the moon and saw eight faint circles with a halo around them.
She now has four pairs of glasses to make up for the sight she has lost.
Ms McConnell, who worked at a Florida car dealership before her death, underwent two LASIK procedures in 2019 to correct her nearsightedness.
Serious complications arose a few weeks after surgery, including eyes so dry they burned, mites, and ingrown hairs in her eyelashes.
Four years later, Mrs. McConnell could barely get out of bed.
She died by suicide at the age of 60. Her son said she left a note to her family explaining that the pain from the botched surgery was part of her decision to end her life.
Ms. McConnell submitted a commentary to the FDA’s draft recommendations stating: “[LASIK] destroyed my life.’
Abraham Rutner, an electrician in Brooklyn, New York, previously told CBS News that his life and vision were nearly destroyed after LASIK.
“It’s a devastation that I can’t even explain,” he said.
The changes to his cornea brought a new, even more excruciating set of problems than he had suffered when he went to his LASIK consultation at an unnamed facility.
Dr. Boshnick, who specializes in alternative corrections for unusual eye problems and in corrective lenses for eyes damaged by LASIK, examined Mr. Rutner’s eyes after surgery and found that the procedure had wreaked havoc on his new patient.
“His cornea is very deformed as a result of his Lasik surgery,” Dr. Boshnick told CBS.
‘It would seem double. Around the lights were like having starbursts,” he told CBS.
After a few months of these distortions, Mr. Rutner couldn’t take it anymore. His eyes made his work and driving almost impossible.
Last year, Michigan meteorologist and mother-of-two, Jessica Star, underwent SMILE surgery — a similar but less invasive procedure to LASIK — in Detroit to correct her vision.
About a month later, the beloved local TV personality was dead. She had committed suicide after “struggling” to recover from the surgery.
Complications are rare with SMILE surgery but include visual ‘ghosting’, decreased vision and excruciating pain.
Max Cronin, Colin Dorrian, and Officer Lawrence Campbell also all committed suicide, writing notes suggesting they were experiencing excruciating pain following laser eye surgery that rendered life unlivable.