Depression and Suicide after LASIK

Dr. Edward Boshnick: "Over the years I've had the misfortune of examining hundreds of patients who have lost quality vision and suffered severe depression as a result of LASIK surgery. Two of these patients were so depressed by their post-surgical vision loss that they attempted suicide. In fact, there are several documented cases of post-lasik suicides."

Source: A Few Words About LASIK

Dr. Arthur B. Epstein: "... many of us in the contact lens community have spent untold hours trying to help patients who have had their lives literally destroyed by LASIK." Source: Review of Optometry, November 2006

OSN Supersite 5/19/2009: Dr. Lawless said his practice has amended its essential clause to include language about the risk of possible psychological damage from an ideal or less-than-ideal refractive surgery procedure in response to last year's U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel meeting on LASIK safety, which examined quality-of-life issues as well as reported psychological damage resulting from poor LASIK outcomes in patients.

We are presenting this information because people, particularly prospective LASIK patients, need to know that LASIK complications may have a profound negative impact on quality of life. If you are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts after LASIK, please get professional help. If you are in crises and need immediate help, click here, call 1-800-273-8255, or call 911.

Want to share your feelings with others who've been there and understand? Join the discussion on FaceBook.

If you experienced a bad outcome from LASIK with associated depression or thoughts of suicide, please file a MedWatch report with the FDA online. Alternatively, you may call FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone, download the paper form and either fax it to 1-800-FDA-0178 or mail it to the address shown at the bottom of page 3, or download the MedWatcher Mobile App for reporting LASIK problems to the FDA using a smart phone or tablet. Read a sample of LASIK injury reports currently on file with the FDA.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING LASIK OR ANOTHER FORM OF VISION CORRECTION SURGERY? Please consider this. There have been several Lasik-related suicides and countless anecdotal reports of Lasik-related depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. In 2008, the FDA called a special public hearing on Lasik after injured Lasik patients complained to the agency. In the weeks leading up to the hearing, the media reported stories of Lasik-related suicides and poor outcomes. At the hearing, leading Lasik surgeons, in a concerted effort to protect the public perception of Lasik, lined up to testify that Lasik cannot not lead to depression or suicide. The Lasik industry even hired a psychiatrist, Jennifer Morse, MD, to testify that patients who are depressed after Lasik were already depressed before Lasik, and that there is no scientific evidence of any direct link between Lasik and depression or suicide. Morse was even quoted in an October, 2008 issue of EyeWorld magazine saying that unhappy Lasik patients have good Lasik results but defective brains (David Laber. Depressed patients can struggle coping with post-Lasik. EyeWorld. October 2008.). Physicians in every other medical specialty must acknowledge and address surgical complications or face lawsuits, discipline by state medical boards, and loss of medical license. In the field of Lasik, surgeons readily lie to protect themselves, their colleagues, and the Lasik gravy train. Below is a link to a February, 2016 review of the body of medical literature on surgical complications (all types of surgery) and their impact on patients' psychosocial well-being. The conclusion states, "Surgical complications appear to be a significant and often long-term predictor of patient postoperative psychosocial outcomes. The results highlight the importance of attending to patients' psychological needs in the aftermath of surgical complications." Be warned, if you experience problems after laser eye surgery, your surgeon will almost certainly downplay or dismiss your concerns. If you continue to complain, you will likely be met with animosity and eventual abandonment. Because Lasik is completely unnecessary and carries significant risk to a vital sensory organ, the Lasik industry will do whatever is necessary to conceal the problems. Please read the following article and consider the psychological toll that surgical complications take on patients. Lasik is no different. Are you willing to accept this hidden risk of Lasik?

Pinto et al. Surgical complications and their impact on patients' psychosocial well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2016 Feb 16;6(2):e007224.

Suicidal LASIK patient files report with FDA , had LASIK in 2016 - 4/6/2017 I had the L