When Laser Surgery Turns Into a Nightmare

LASIK is successful for 95 percent of patients, but for those rare few, the toll can be enormous

LASIK can give most people a new lease on eyesight, but for a very few it can result in excruciating complications. Robert Przybysz/Shutterstock

It has been just over a year since Jessica Starr, a popular weatherperson on Detroit TV, took her own life. Her husband said she did so because of complications related to her recent laser refractive surgery.

Such complications are not as rare as people think. The New York Times warned in 2018 of the potential effects on some patients. More recently in Canada, a class-action lawsuit was filed across the country against Québéc-based company Lasik MD. It is accused of failing to properly warn its clients of the risks associated with vision correction surgery.