Married Fox TV meteorologist mother-of-two who hung herself after LASIK eye surgery.
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A beloved Fox TV meteorologist and mother-of-two who killed herself on Wednesday is one of 11 people to have taken their own life after undergoing Lasik eye surgery.
Jessica Starr, 35, was found dead on Wednesday night. She was married with two young children and had a successful television career.
Yeah, I get this must be very rare for there to be complications but if it does go wrong that's it, nothing can be done. Makes me glad that I was told there was nothing LASIK could do with my vision when I went to see about it years ago. I much prefer glasses. I don't even want to try contacts, just putting something in my eye bothers me, heck just putting eye drops in is a pain.
LASIK is the doc-in-the-box, quick-heal, get-it-done-on-your-lunch-hour version of a very delicate and risky procedure. If you want your vision corrected and can't bear the idea of PRK's few days of blurred vision and pain, and 30 days or so of reaching optimum results, then you should just live with glasses or contacts. With LASIK, you're trading quick surgery with quick results for possible lifetime pain and problems.
LASIK is the doc-in-the-box, quick-heal, get-it-done-on-your-lunch-hour version of a very delicate and risky procedure. If you want your vision corrected and can't bear the idea of PRK's few days of blurred vision and pain, and 30 days or so of reaching optimum results, then you should just live with glasses or contacts. With LASIK, you're trading quick surgery with quick results for possible lifetime pain and problems.
If you read the article linked, one of the suicides, a Canadian millionaire, had the PRK procedure but was left in unbearable pain. His story is right below hers in the same article.
I was a bit sad to read this today, as I thought these sorts of issues with Lasik were pretty much resolved by now. I knew somebody 17~ years ago that also committed suicide over bad Lasik.
Here's my experience:
I was -4.25 in one eye, and -4.75 in the other. I had astigmatism's in both eyes also, at over -2. something. (I have small "asian" type eyes, which made the surgery all the harder) I went to Windsor Canada in July 2000 to have Lasik, because I couldn't afford it in the US. At the time, it was $5,000 minimum US. I paid $1,000 U.S. for both eyes total (at the time, the exchange rate was like $1.48 Canadian, for $1.00 US).
I was left-eye dominant, and that eye had a bad reaction to the surgery. It was pinched really badly by the speculum used to hold my eye open during surgery. I ended up with: Corneal edema, DLK "(crap under the flap)", infection, and extreme dry eye, plus very bad starbursts / halo's, and contrast issues. I spent the next almost 2 years, seeing like I was walking through "clouds", especially under fluorescent lights (which are pure crap for a light source).
I was a computer tech, so staring at CRT's 8 hours a day was hell. I also had to drive back to Canada (140 miles one way) every month for over a year, for the doctor to check me out, and give me new meds. By the next summer, that Lasik-Vision company had declared bankruptcy, and left everybody holding the bag. So, I couldn't have any sort of touch-ups, at least by them.
NO American doctor would even touch me, after having the surgery in a "foreign country", and having complications. They didn't want to take a chance they'd get sued.
It took over 20 months for that eye to heal, and I had to have a -.50 "bandage" contact lens inserted towards the end, which I had actively avoided as long as possible (hey, I had surgery to get RID of contacts and glasses!). The funny thing is, it was the bandage contact lens that ended up finally healing my eye. The surface tension of the contact, "sucked" the remaining edema out of the eye, and allowed the swelling to go down.
Well, it's 18 years later, I ultimately ended up with unintended "mono-vision", but my formerly dominant eye, is the UNDER corrected eye. That's not how it usually goes when they attempt mono-vision (which they weren't trying for). The mono-vision at my age is actually a plus, as my left eye is good for reading, and my right eye is good for long distance. I'm glad I finally adapted to it, but my eyes switched dominance several times, which really screws with your balance! I still also have very dry eyes, which I never had before the surgery. So, I'm still using daily eye drops, and there really aren't any that are all that good (except "Bion Tears, and they are expensive). Also, if you use them too much, it makes your eyes worse. Having air blow on your eyes like from a fan, is like running a razor blade across your cornea. Yes, it actually feels like that to me since Lasik.
I have also become extremely light sensitive in both eyes. Once in a while, if a bright light hits me in the eye just right, and gets between the area where the slice was (that thin scar line for lack of a better word, where my eye is not corrected) it dazzles me completely. I also still deal with contrast issues, so it's hard to see things in certain types of light.
It can and has created a floating black spot that moves into my field of vision when I look at things. It can last as long as 4-5 hours, but always eventually goes away. Sometimes it's not a black spot, it's sometimes a "sparkling light-show" that goes on for hours. Drives me bonkers, and is annoying as hell. IF I close my eyes during those times, it's like the whole inside of my head has a flood-light in it. I'd have to equate it to like if you take a magnifying glass, and focus the light beam into a tight spot. Somehow,when conditions are right, it gets through to my retina like that, and flash blinds me.
I am still glad I had Lasik, but there are days when I wish it had gone better for me.
Ultimately, I'm still reasonably happy I got it, but I could have done without the accidental complications. Of course, that was real early in the life of Lasik, and they have much better techniques now. IF I knew then, what I know now, I would have perhaps saved up longer, had the surgery closer to where I live, so that any complications could have been easier taken care of. I also would have had PRK 1 eye at a time, instead of "lift the flap Lasik".By the way, the doctor that did my Lasik, didn't do anything wrong, and his technique was perfect. It was simply my bodies reaction to the surgery that went wrong.
Ok, sorry for the book, but if you get nothing else out of all I've said about the problems I had, just remember this:
LASIK IS SURGERY! I repeat: LASIK IS SURGERY! Surgery is/can be different for everybody. You only have two eyes . They can't do whole eye transplants yet. IF you have complications, they can be horrible, far worse then I ever had, and mine were bad. Do your home-work, and don't necessarily go to the lowest priced place. Go to a place very convenient to you for followups if needed. This is especially important:
LISTEN to the doctor after he checks you out. IF he says: "Yes, we can do the Lasik, but you might have a problem with ______ if we do" believe him, and reconsider going through it. Glasses and contacts suck, but are not as bad as a horrible side-effect on your eyes, that you might have to live with the rest of your life.
To hell with that, I rather just wear the contact lenses. Messing with eyes is just a no-no in my book.
Edit-I know of one person that got this surgery, and she had dry eyes so bad that lasted for months, unbearable she said. Felt like sand thrown in the eyes. It eventually went away but funny thing is that the surgery was not permanent, her eyes got bad enough about seven years later to the point she needed glasses again.
How can you be so selfish by killing yourself when you have two young kids? For chrissakes live, if not for yourself, at least for your two kids. They are now devastated and will have no mother.
How can you be so selfish by killing yourself when you have two young kids? For chrissakes live, if not for yourself, at least for your two kids. They are now devastated and will have no mother.
I find it hard to believe she upped and committed suicide only a month or so after the surgery, JUST BECAUSE of "bad Lasik complications". I suspect she was looking for a reason, and this one was handy.
As I mentioned above, I dealt with severe post-Lasik issues for over 20 months, continued to work that whole time even while in pain, and am now 18 years post-Lasik bad issues, still deal with some of that pain every day, and I'm no closer to suicide than I ever was. Now granted, I was already age 42 when I had it, so a bit older than she was, but I just don't get it. She could easily have had those issues resolve by themselves if she had waited a bit more.
IMO, she gave up far too easy, and I'd bet there was plenty of things doctors could have done if she had just resolved to at least try to work through it.
To hell with that, I rather just wear the contact lenses. Messing with eyes is just a no-no in my book.
Edit-I know of one person that got this surgery, and she had dry eyes so bad that lasted for months, unbearable she said. Felt like sand thrown in the eyes. It eventually went away but funny thing is that the surgery was not permanent, her eyes got bad enough about seven years later to the point she needed glasses again.
People ask why I don't get lasik.
I'll get lasik when my eye doc gets lasik. If it's not worth it to her, it ain't something I will do, especially since glasses and contacts are so easy.
Glasses are great for sun protection, too. Not to mention things flying in your eyes.
Why do we think, btw, that it was BECAUSE of the Lasik that she killed herself?
Seems a bit extreme.
That's the info that the various news articles, AND her co-workers are pushing. Maybe it was only part of the reason, but they don't want to believe she was open to any reason for it...
Quote:
Death of Fox 2 anchor Jessica Starr sheds light on possible connection between Lasik surgery and suicide
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