TV anchor commits suicide after corrective eye surgery

[SDS]

When people ask me about this operation - this is the nightmare I refer to. The risks may indeed be "Rare". The question is if the quality of life improvement is worth that risk.

 

Quote

In one of her many video diaries, Starr expressed regret for having undergone the procedure.

“I’m really mad at myself for doing this,” she said. “I don’t know why. I was fine in contacts. Glasses weren’t that big of a deal. It was fine.”

 

https://people.com/tv/meteorologist-jessica-starr-suicide-family-speaks-out/

[KD in CA]

I saw this story a couple days ago and figured I’d see it here soon enough.  Pretty tragic.  

 

Count me among those who who will take the hassle of juggling multiple pairs of glasses over having someone shoot lasers into my eyes.

[RochesterRob]

5 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

I saw this story a couple days ago and figured I’d see it here soon enough.  Pretty tragic.  

 

Count me among those who who will take the hassle of juggling multiple pairs of glasses over having someone shoot lasers into my eyes.

  I've worn glasses for decades and will continue to do so.  I've never had a woman reject me over wearing glasses.  Anybody else I could not care less about.

[SDS]

8 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

I saw this story a couple days ago and figured I’d see it here soon enough.  Pretty tragic.  

 

Count me among those who who will take the hassle of juggling multiple pairs of glasses over having someone shoot lasers into my eyes.

 

There are many people whose quality of life improvement is worth the risk to them. My guess is most people getting surgery though, is like the woman in the story. A person who doesn't like the inconvenience of contacts/glasses who wants to get a quick procedure done and grab the free toaster with the surgery. Those are the people who really need to think about what a failed surgery truly means and the consequences.

[KD in CA]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

There are many people whose quality of life improvement is worth the risk to them. My guess is most people getting surgery though, is like the woman in the story. A person who doesn't like the inconvenience of contacts/glasses who wants to get a quick procedure done and grab the free toaster with the surgery. Those are the people who really need to think about what a failed surgery truly means and the consequences.

 

Yup.  I get it if you're legally blind and this can make a huge difference.  For me, switching to a pair of lower prescription glasses to use at the computer or to prescription sunglasses when out in the sun isn't a big deal so not worth the risk/cost.

[PetermansRedemption]

This is why I don’t think I’ll ever have a LASIK procedure done. Hate wearing glasses, but contacts work just fine. Even if the risk of complication with LASIK is microscopic, it isn’t worth it if you end up being that .01%. 

[plenzmd1]

14 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  I've worn glasses for decades and will continue to do so.  I've never had a woman reject me over wearing glasses.  Anybody else I could not care less about.

Ahh, of that you can never be sure..many thousands of women may have dismissed you outright ...you just never know. I mean, look @mead107 , he wears glesses and thousnads of women rejected him in his single days.

47 minutes ago, SDS said:

When people ask me about this operation - this is the nightmare I refer to. The risks may indeed be "Rare". The question is if the quality of life improvement is worth that risk.

 

 

https://people.com/tv/meteorologist-jessica-starr-suicide-family-speaks-out/

I will always say it was the best $3K I ever spent, and that was in October of 2000, so almost 19 years ago. I mean there are risks with everything we do in life, many many of them we do just to have more fun or look better. According to the lineked article, complications are less than 1% of procedures. 

 

Not to make light of this, but she killed her self appx 8 weeks after surgery because she had dry eyes and was seeing starbursts? And she has two young children? That ain't adding up to a mentally stable person before the surgery in my mind's eye. This article/story on ABC is  designed for clicks and shock value in my opinion..weather person commits suicide doesn't  have quite the drawing card

 

 

[Steptide]

7 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

 @mead107

 

Not to make light of this, but she killed her self appx 8 weeks after surgery because she had dry eyes and was seeing starbursts? And she has two young children? That ain't adding up to a mentally stable person before the surgery in my mind's eye. This article/story on ABC is  designed for clicks and shock value in my opinion..weather person commits suicide doesn't  have quite the drawing card

 

 

I have to agree. You don't off yourself from this . Having dry eyes or irratation in your eyes. Anyone who's worn contacts for any length of time knows how dry and/or annoying they can be at times. Contacts have greatly improved over the years, but to this day, I still say one of the best feelings in the world is taking your contacts out at night. If this was legit, the suicide rate for people wearing contacts would be sky high 

Edited February 28, 2019 by Steptide

[plenzmd1]

1 minute ago, Steptide said:

I have to agree. You don't off yourself from. Having dry eyes or irratation in your eyes. Anyone who's worn contacts for any length of time knows how dry and/or annoying they can be at times. Contacts have greatly improved over the years, but to this day, I still say one of the best feelings in the world is taking your contacts out at night 

agreed...me thnkee just a prelude to big lawsuit

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Ahh, of that you can never be sure..many thousands of women may have dismissed you outright ...you just never know. I mean, look @mead107 , he wears glesses and thousnads of women rejected him in his single days.

 I will always say it was the best $3K I ever spent, and that was in October of 2000, so almost 19 years ago. I mean there are risks with everything we do in life, many many of them we do just to have more fun or look better. According to the lineked article, complications are less than 1% of procedures. 

 

Not to make light of this, but she killed her self appx 8 weeks after surgery because she had dry eyes and was seeing starbursts? And she has two young children? That ain't adding up to a mentally stable person before the surgery in my mind's eye. This article/story on ABC is  designed for clicks and shock value in my opinion..weather person commits suicide doesn't  have quite the drawing card

 

 

Do your eyes not continue to change? I do fine with contacts, but I’ve had to change the prescription a few times over the years. Even if LASIK gave you perfect vision right after surgery, does that not need adjustments in the years that follow? 

[plenzmd1]

1 minute ago, Augie said:

Do your eyes not continue to change? I do fine with contacts, but I’ve had to change the prescription a few times over the years. Even if LASIK gave you perfect vision right after surgery, does that not need adjustments in the years that follow? 

when I had it they said as you get older, you will still need reading glasses. Having said that,at 56  I am still fighting the good fight on that front and only use readers when using the Daily Racing Form @ the OTB. Outside of that, my vision is the same as the day I left the surgery center in 2000.

 

Now, when I reach your age , things will prolly change. But have a long time till I have to worry bout that

[KD in CA]

4 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

when I had it they said as you get older, you will still need reading glasses. Having said that,at 56  I am still fighting the good fight on that front and only use readers when using the Daily Racing Form @ the OTB. Outside of that, my vision is the same as the day I left the surgery center in 2000.

 

Now, when I reach your age , things will prolly change. But have a long time till I have to worry bout that

 

Take Millionaire Joe in the fifth at Aqueduct.

[Augie]

1 minute ago, plenzmd1 said:

when I had it they said as you get older, you will still need reading glasses. Having said that,at 56  I am still fighting the good fight on that front and only use readers when using the Daily Racing Form @ the OTB. Outside of that, my vision is the same as the day I left the surgery center in 2000.

 

Now, when I reach your age , things will prolly change. But have a long time till I have to worry bout that

 

You HOPE to reach my age one day! 

 

Just think of all the females in the world who had to find other reasons to look away from you for 19 years......just kidding. Not really much of a challenge there. 

 

My wife was actually thinking about the surgery until we recently met someone who had it done. She asked him about it and one eye was not very clear and it was bothering him. The surgery was recent, so hopefully that’s something that turns out fine for him, but it was enough to talk the wife out of the idea. We know other people who swear it’s the best thing ever, but I’m so accustomed to contacts (daily made a WORLD of difference!) that I’ll just keep up the routine. 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

She killed herself because of itchy eyes?  WTF?!  

[SDS]

30 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Ahh, of that you can never be sure..many thousands of women may have dismissed you outright ...you just never know. I mean, look @mead107 , he wears glesses and thousnads of women rejected him in his single days.

I will always say it was the best $3K I ever spent, and that was in October of 2000, so almost 19 years ago. I mean there are risks with everything we do in life, many many of them we do just to have more fun or look better. According to the lineked article, complications are less than 1% of procedures. 

 

Not to make light of this, but she killed her self appx 8 weeks after surgery because she had dry eyes and was seeing starbursts? And she has two young children? That ain't adding up to a mentally stable person before the surgery in my mind's eye. This article/story on ABC is  designed for clicks and shock value in my opinion..weather person commits suicide doesn't  have quite the drawing card

 

 

 

27 minutes ago, Steptide said:

I have to agree. You don't off yourself from this . Having dry eyes or irratation in your eyes. Anyone who's worn contacts for any length of time knows how dry and/or annoying they can be at times. Contacts have greatly improved over the years, but to this day, I still say one of the best feelings in the world is taking your contacts out at night. If this was legit, the suicide rate for people wearing contacts would be sky high 

 

These are two awful, dreadful takes. Do you know what the world needs less of? People behind keyboards questioning other people's pain. 

 

But you both are probably right - her dry eyes were probably exactly equivalent to your experiences with contacts. Exactly. No difference.  She must have been mentally ill. It's the only reasonable conclusion.

 

[plenzmd1]

14 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

 

Take Millionaire Joe in the fifth at Aqueduct.

well, you can ask several on here bout the night I talked em into betting a trotter named "Shady  McCoy" whilst i was at said OTB. And yes, they got all cranky cause he did not win but got 2nd. And picking a horse to finish 2nd (from last of course) is a great talent of mine!!!

@BringBackFergy and @mead107 still cry about their finances from that fiasco!

3 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

 

These are two awful, dreadful takes. Do you know what the world needs less of? People behind keyboards questioning other people's pain. 

 

But you both are probably right - her dry eyes were probably exactly equivalent to your experiences with contacts. Exactly. No difference.  She must have been mentally ill. It's the only reasonable conclusion.

 

you saying killing yourself when you have two small kids because your eyes hurt is a rational reaction to pain and some vision problems? I know you don't like Lasix, but to say she killed herself cause she had Lasik is pretty far afield no?

[Jauronimo]

2 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

you saying killing yourself when you have two small kids because your eyes hurt is a rational reaction to pain and some vision problems? I know you don't like Lasix, but to say she killed herself cause she had Lasik is pretty far afield no?

You are a terrible person!  All pain is worth offing yourself over and no one should ever get elective surgery.

 

Even though there was zero indication from the article shared that this woman's complications from surgery made her life a living hell we can assume as much because she killed herself and most people kill themselves for highly rational reasons.

[The Poojer]

I've worn glasses for most of my life and I would love to live without them, but when it comes to eyes, no way in hell am i going to chance it

[KD in CA]

11 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

well, you can ask several on here bout the night I talked em into betting a trotter named "Shady  McCoy" whilst i was at said OTB. And yes, they got all cranky cause he did not win but got 2nd. And picking a horse to finish 2nd (from last of course) is a great talent of mine!!!

 

 

I said PLACE it on Lucky Dan!!!!!

[plenzmd1]

Just now, KD in CA said:

 

I said PLACE it on Lucky Dan!!!!!

lord, I love that movie...still one of the greatest ever made!

 

In the Shady McCoy fiasco, we would have needed a new bet on 7th out of 8 entries?

[whatdrought]

15 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

 

These are two awful, dreadful takes. Do you know what the world needs less of? People behind keyboards questioning other people's pain. 

 

But you both are probably right - her dry eyes were probably exactly equivalent to your experiences with contacts. Exactly. No difference.  She must have been mentally ill. It's the only reasonable conclusion.

 

 

I disagree. There are people who lose their sight altogether and do not resort to suicide. This is a sad story no doubt, but the question must be asked if there are other factors that caused this. 

 

I would also be very curious to hear what treatment she sought about the issues she was having (both physically as a result of the surgery, and emotionally/mentally as a result of the pain.) 

 

I don't think either of the posters you quoted were indeed questioning her pain, but rather were pointing out that this in a vacuum does not seem like something that would drive a reasonable person to suicide. Furthermore, the article and the comments of the family seem to indicate (based entirely on my opinion alone) that some form of legal action may be taken against the provider who did the surgery. If that's the case, I expect much more to be discovered about this young woman and why this was ultimately what she saw as her only option. 

[KD in CA]

Just now, plenzmd1 said:

lord, I love that movie...still one of the greatest ever made!

 

In the Shady McCoy fiasco, we would have needed a new bet on 7th out of 8 entries?

 

It really is....just great in every aspect.  It's one of the handful I have to watch start to finish every few years.

 

Shady must have gotten blocked out....kinda like the entire 2018 season.

[billsfanmiami(oh)]

2 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Ahh, of that you can never be sure..many thousands of women may have dismissed you outright ...you just never know. I mean, look @mead107 , he wears glesses and thousnads of women rejected him in his single days.

I will always say it was the best $3K I ever spent, and that was in October of 2000, so almost 19 years ago. I mean there are risks with everything we do in life, many many of them we do just to have more fun or look better. According to the lineked article, complications are less than 1% of procedures. 

 

Not to make light of this, but she killed her self appx 8 weeks after surgery because she had dry eyes and was seeing starbursts? And she has two young children? That ain't adding up to a mentally stable person before the surgery in my mind's eye. This article/story on ABC is  designed for clicks and shock value in my opinion..weather person commits suicide doesn't  have quite the drawing card

 

 

 

That at was my first thought. Horrible story and obviously can’t walk in someone else’s shoes but I personally can’t fathom leaving behind my child. Especially for something like that. 

 

[The Senator]

6 hours ago, SDS said:

When people ask me about this operation - this is the nightmare I refer to. The risks may indeed be "Rare". The question is if the quality of life improvement is worth that risk.

 

 

https://people.com/tv/meteorologist-jessica-starr-suicide-family-speaks-out/

 

This is a truly tragic tale of a troubled woman.

 

As an early investor in a Summit Technology, a pioneer in the field of laser radial keratotomy, I was familiar with the procedure,  but never found glasses or contacts inconvenient.  I certainly didn’t want anyone but myself sticking their fingers, or surgical devices, near my eyes. I finally had to succumb to that phobia when I developed cataracts.  Facing blindness, doc installed those nifty muti focal lenses, and my vision is 20/15, w/out glasses.

 

I suppose someone whose job is on television might lead them to make certain cosmetic decisions, as this poor woman did.

 

I would recommend against the operation.  You never know what can go wrong.

 

Glasses can be fun, so can contacts - you can even change colors!

.

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by The Senator

[Augie]

I have no idea what she was going through, or why, but two kids lost their mom. That is tragic. 

[Doc]

7 hours ago, SDS said:

These are two awful, dreadful takes. Do you know what the world needs less of? People behind keyboards questioning other people's pain. 

 

But you both are probably right - her dry eyes were probably exactly equivalent to your experiences with contacts. Exactly. No difference.  She must have been mentally ill. It's the only reasonable conclusion.

 

She was mentally ill: she was depressed and her family missed the warning signs.

 

And I had the procedure and it was one of the best things I ever did.  Fortunately I didn't suffer a bad outcome but I tell people who ask me about it that while it worked great for me, you're taking a risk.

[mead107]

7 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Ahh, of that you can never be sure..many thousands of women may have dismissed you outright ...you just never know. I mean, look @mead107 , he wears glesses and thousnads of women rejected him in his single days.

 

 

 

I hated wearing glasses when I was dating girls when I was young before the wife. They would always be smudged. Never took them of when I went down to the Y. 

 

I know only one person that had a problem after surgery.  One eye was a problem (dry) for around 7 months.  Good now. 

[4BillsintheBurgh]

My wife had it done around 2002 and has enjoyed it. We did TLC I think? It was the same one Tiger Woods had done, I was okay spending the extra money considering. I had a buddy go a cheap route and he ended up having issues which he actually had to go get corrected in Florida. I guess the guy down there was the best and my buddy wasn't taking any more chances. Luckily it worked out for him.

[nkreed]

First off the loss of life is tragic.

 

I had not heard of the SMILE technology as compared to LASIK until that article.  That's not too surprising since I had my surgery about 12 years ago (it was so worth it for me).

 

The SMILE technique is still newer, but it doesn't seem too complicated. It's unfortunate we won't know the true reason for her dry eyes.  Considering the flap method of LASIK vs the 4mm incision of the SMILE, I would bet big money that the greater surface area of injury to the cornea would lead to drier eyes.

 

Also, fun fact that I haven't looked up to see if it's true through 2018, but through 2017 in all of the LASIK procedures preformed in the US there was not one single case of loss of vision! (Save for the few moments your vision is black during the correction). That's a lot of surgeries!  LASIK was first introduced in 1991.

[LeGOATski]

Yeah, I'll just stick with my glasses.

 

Thank you, next.

[nkreed]

2 abstracts of some articles of the efficacy of SMILE v LASIK.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28486721

tldr; LASIK outperformed SMILE in all visual acuity testing at the 3 month mark. No discussion on side effects. Published May '17

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28486720

tldr; at 6 months, LASIK has better predictability than SMILE. Published May '17

 

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

I have worn glasses/contacts my whole life... At 51 I don't need them up close anymore.  I thank this site and my cellphone.

 

I just take my glasses off under 4 feet away.

17 minutes ago, nkreed said:

2 abstracts of some articles of the efficacy of SMILE v LASIK.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28486721

tldr; LASIK outperformed SMILE in all visual acuity testing at the 3 month mark. No discussion on side effects. Published May '17

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28486720

tldr; at 6 months, LASIK has better predictability than SMILE. Published May '17

 

 

 

SMILE is less invasive.  I guess you have to be leary of that. Why cut corners with something that important... Even know it seems logical to go the less invasive route... Still gotta do things the "right way."

 

Wiping your azz 1/2 way is less invasive.  See how far that gets you!  ?

Edited March 1, 2019 by ExiledInIllinois

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

You'd have to be insane to say "yeah, you know what? Go ahead and shoot laser beams at my eyeballs." 

 

Hard pass.

[Turk71]

I read where she told her husband it felt like her eyes were no longer communicating properly with her brain. She could not visualize and 'see' the way she used to.

  Seeing is the brain being able to interpret information received from the eye via the optic nerve. The lens focuses light onto the rods and cones that transmit to the brain, but her brain was not able to interpret and visualize the info properly for whatever reason. 

  Not surmising how that results in killing yourself, but it sounds way beyond just the discomfort of dry eyes. Tragic whatever the case may be.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Turk71

[DC Tom]

12 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

you saying killing yourself when you have two small kids because your eyes hurt is a rational reaction to pain and some vision problems? I know you don't like Lasix, but to say she killed herself cause she had Lasik is pretty far afield no?

 

You've probably never lived with the level of pain she had to deal with.

 

This isn't eye strain.  Imagine having hydrogen peroxide dripped in to your eyes, all day, every day, for the rest of your life.  Attributing "rational" reactions to that level of pain is nonsense.

1 hour ago, Joe in Winslow said:

You'd have to be insane to say "yeah, you know what? Go ahead and shoot laser beams at my eyeballs." 

 

Hard pass.

 

I may do it.  Not 15 years ago...but as I get older, my eyes are getting so much worse that I'm having to start considering the 1 in 1000 chance of LASIK complications against the much higher chance that I'll have to go on disability within the next 10 years.  But if I do choose that, I'll be fully cognizant of the risks.  

 

Like anything...risk is involved, and you shouldn't blindly (so to speak) assume it's a panacea.  

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

5 hours ago, DC Tom said:

 

You've probably never lived with the level of pain she had to deal with.

 

This isn't eye strain.  Imagine having hydrogen peroxide dripped in to your eyes, all day, every day, for the rest of your life.  Attributing "rational" reactions to that level of pain is nonsense.

 

I may do it.  Not 15 years ago...but as I get older, my eyes are getting so much worse that I'm having to start considering the 1 in 1000 chance of LASIK complications against the much higher chance that I'll have to go on disability within the next 10 years.  But if I do choose that, I'll be fully cognizant of the risks.  

 

Like anything...risk is involved, and you shouldn't blindly (so to speak) assume it's a panacea.  

 

Read too many books? Or hereditary?

[plenzmd1]

7 hours ago, DC Tom said:

 

You've probably never lived with the level of pain she had to deal with.

 

This isn't eye strain.  Imagine having hydrogen peroxide dripped in to your eyes, all day, every day, for the rest of your life.  Attributing "rational" reactions to that level of pain is nonsense.

 

 

1

Maybe not,.. but most likely yes I lived twenty years of my life with much worse pain prolly. For about 5 months a year from 89-08, i would get cluster headaches. Also known as suicide headaches because people actually do commit suicide due to the pain. No medication for them back then, you just knew this poker going through your eye was coming, and their was nothing you could do about it  Nothing worse than your little kids being scared  poopless cause daddy is in the hallway banging his head on the floor trying to somehow relieve the pain( and that is a common response..why? no one .knows)

 

And that would be everyday, sometimes 4 rimes a day during bad clusters...where for 8-12 weeks at a time if my eye didnt feel like it was getting stabbed, my head hurt so bad from the residual pain felt like my whole head was in a vice.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/cluster-headaches-the-worst-possible-pain/281524/

 

if you really want to read a sad message board, go here

 

https://clusterbusters.org/forums/forum/4-general-board/

 

Never once thought of killing myself over it, especially when little ones started coming. I aint buying thhis lady killed herself over pain and Lasik...there were deeper issues there.

Edited March 1, 2019 by plenzmd1

[mead107]

14 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

Maybe not,.. but most likely yes I lived twenty years of my life with much worse pain prolly. For about 5 months a year from 89-08, i would get cluster headaches. Also known as suicide headaches because people actually do commit suicide due to the pain. No medication for them back then, you just knew this poker going through your eye was coming, and their was nothing you could do about it  Nothing worse than your little kids being scared  poopless cause daddy is in the hallway banding his head on the floor trying to somehow relieve the pain( and that is a common response..why? no one .knows)

 

And that would be everyday, sometimes 4 rimes a day during bad clusters...where for 8-12 weeks at a time if my eye didnt feel like it was getting stabbed, my head hurt so bad from the residual pain felt like my whole head was in a vice.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/cluster-headaches-the-worst-possible-pain/281524/

 

Never once thought of killing myself over it, especially when little ones started coming. I aint buying thhis lady killed herself over pain and Lasik...there were deeper issues there.

Who slapped you in the back of the head and fixed it for you? Or was your brain ? out growing that small head of yours??????????

[plenzmd1]

8 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Who slapped you in the back of the head and fixed it for you? Or was your brain ? out growing that small head of yours??????????

Only benefit of getting older is that for many of us "the beast" as it is known tends to ga way when we hit 45.Mine last a bit longer, but the last few years were not so bad. And, the only good thing about these things is they tend to occur at the same time every day, so i could plan my sales calls around them

Edited March 1, 2019 by plenzmd1

[GG]

If it's a question of vanity, it's far better to wear glasses because it gives you far more options to accessorize.