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Detroit Meteorologist Commits Suicide After Lasik Eye Surgery

In her final tweet, Jessica Starr told fans, "yesterday was a struggle for me. Please keep me in your thoughts during this challenging time.”

A 35-year-old Detroit meteorologist took her own life after struggling with a very challenging Lasik recovery period.

Jessica Starr, a meteorologist at a local station in Detroit and mother of two, had the Lasik SMILE eye surgery in October. After taking several weeks off from work, Starr was very eager to “get back” to her old life.

However, in mid-November, Starr posted a Facebook Live video and revealed she is still struggling with dry eyes and extremely foggy vision, reported the Detroit Free Press.

“I have a tad side of dry eyes, so I have to use a lot of drops. When the drops are in, I can see clear, but then they fade pretty quickly,” she said in the video.

One day later, Starr tweeted out what would become her last interaction with the public.

“Yesterday was a struggle for me. I really wanted to come back but I need more time to recover. Please keep me in your thoughts during this challenging time,” she wrote.

On Wednesday, Starr hanged herself, according to officials at the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The next morning, Fox 2 Detroit morning anchor Amy Andrews reported on her colleagues devastating suicide. 

“Our hearts are broken,” she tweeted. “Last night we were informed our Jessica Starr took her life.

“Her Fox 2 family is deep shock and cannot believe such a wonderful, bright and intelligent woman is gone. Keep her family in your prayers in the coming days as we all deal with our grief.”

Starr is the eleventh person to commit suicide after expressing complaints about Lasik eye surgery.

Paul Fitzgerald, 54, killed himself in October due to the intense pain caused by a “badly performed” laser eye surgery he had 20 years prior, reported CTV.

“I cannot experience any type of pleasure anymore,” he reportedly wrote in his suicide note. “Just the pain of burning eyes inside my head and throughout myself… Since 1996 pain, pain and more pain, please forgive me for not being strong enough to cope.”

Max Cronin, who had two surgeries, started having severe pain that he described as “needles sticking into his eyes continuously.”

Boston-based Dr. Pedram Hamrah told the outlet a rare complication called corneal neuralgia is often misdiagnosed because it looks the same as dry eye. In reality, it’s severe pain cause by damaged nerves in the cornea.

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