Pennsylvania Police Officer’s Suicide Highlights Growing Concerns Over LASIK Surgery Complications and Patient Safety
The tragic suicide of Pennsylvania police officer Ryan Kingerski has renewed scrutiny on the LASIK eye surgery industry, as his grieving parents reveal the devastating toll the procedure took on their son.
After months of debilitating side effects, Kingerski left behind a heartbreaking note that detailed his suffering and shattered the lives of those closest to him.
Kingerski, 26, who served with the Penn Hills Police Department, ended his life in January after enduring persistent headaches, dark spots, double vision and extreme light sensitivity.
These symptoms left him unable to function in his daily life.
“I can’t take this anymore. LASIK took everything from me,” he wrote in a suicide note, his father told CBS News, per the New York Post.
Once hailed as a safe and effective alternative to glasses or contacts, LASIK has come under intense criticism from former FDA officials and families affected by its serious complications.
Dr. Edward Boshnick, a Miami-based optometrist, called it “the biggest scam ever put on the American public… and it’s a multi-billion dollar business,” in an interview with the outlet.
Morris Waxler, who once served as FDA branch chief and approved LASIK’s use, now regrets the decision. He has petitioned the agency to rescind its approval, warning that complication rates could be as high as 30 percent.
“It didn’t matter what questions and concerns I had, because the surgeons were very powerful and still are,” Waxler told the Post.
The problem is not new. Jessica Starr, a 35-year-old meteorologist from Detroit, died by suicide in 2018 after LASIK surgery left her with severe physical and emotional decline.
Her husband, Dan Rose, told The Post, “Prior to the procedure, Jessica was completely normal, very healthy. There was no depression… no underlying issue.”
Another victim, Paul Fitzpatrick from Canada, suffered chronic pain for 20 years following his surgery before taking his own life in 2018.
His suicide note spoke of unbearable burning sensations in his eyes.
“Just the pain of burning eyes inside my head and throughout myself… Since 1996 Pain, pain and more pain,” he wrote, according to the Daily Mail.
Gloria McConnell, who had LASIK in 2019, also experienced severe complications such as dry eyes, mite infestations in her eyelashes and constant discomfort before dying by suicide at age 60.
“[LASIK] has destroyed my life,” she wrote in a note to the FDA.
Survivors continue to speak out. Paula Cofer, who had LASIK in 2000, battled suicidal thoughts for two years and now runs a Facebook support group.
“The LASIK lobby and the surgeons will tell you only one percent of patients have issues afterward. That’s not true,” she told The Post.
Cofer estimates she knows of at least 40 suicides linked to LASIK complications.
“If you understand LASIK and what it does to the eyes and cornea, you realize you can’t do it on a healthy eye and not expect complications,” she explained.
There is some hope. Brooklyn electrician Abraham Rutner found relief after years of post-surgery pain when he received scleral lenses from Dr. Boshnick, restoring both comfort and vision.
“I couldn’t work. I couldn’t drive. I felt like I was still a young man and I lost my life,” Rutner said.
Since its FDA approval in 1999, more than 10 million Americans have undergone LASIK, with 700,000 to 800,000 procedures performed annually, according to Clinical Ophthalmology.
The American Refractive Surgery Council maintains that LASIK is “safe and is one of the most studied elective surgical procedures available today,” estimating “the rate of sight-threatening complications from LASIK eye surgery is well below one percent,” per the Daily Mail.
Yet, for patients like Kingerski, those statistics offer little comfort.
“Not everyone has severe complications, but a lot more people are suffering than you know,” Cofer said. “I got floaters, severe dry eyes, induced astigmatism and severe night vision problems.”
LASIK works by cutting a flap in the cornea and reshaping it to redirect how light hits the retina. However, this alteration can cause permanent damage for some patients.
“When surgeons cut the cornea they are removing nerves and leaving the corneas with odd shapes and some patients will have intractable pain,” explained Waxler.
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