Fox meteorologist and mother-of-two, 35, kills herself after undergoing lasik eye surgery

A well-known TV Michigan meteorologist and mother-of-two has taken her own life a month after telling fans she was struggling to recover from laser eye surgery that she got so she could finally stop wearing her contact lenses.

Jessica Starr, 35, worked for WJBK Fox 2 since 2011. On Thursday morning, her colleagues cried as they announced her death on the air. 

Starr, whose married name was Rose, had two young children. She leaves them behind along with her husband of eight years, Daniel. 

In a statement issued on its website and read aloud by her colleagues on Thursday morning, Fox 2 said: ‘Last night we were informed of the heartbreaking news that our friend and colleague, meteorologist Jessica Starr took her life.  

‘All of us here at FOX 2 are in deep shock and cannot believe that such a wonderful, bright and intelligent individual will no longer be with us. 

 

WJBK Fox 2 meteorologist Jessica Starr, 35, took her own life on Wednesday, her colleagues have revealed 

Starr's colleagues announced her death tearfully on Thursday morning 

Starr’s colleagues announced her death tearfully on Thursday morning 

‘Her family and friends will be in our thoughts and prayers in the coming days as we all deal with our grief.’  

Further details about her death have not yet been revealed. 

Over the last month, Starr said she had been facing ‘challenging times’ since undergoing Lasik SMILE eye surgery. 

The procedure was approved by the FDA in 2016 and is carried out by doctors across the country

It involves the surgeon using a femtosecond laser to create a small piece of tissue within the cornea then, using the same laser, they make an arc-shaped incision on the cornea’s surface to extract the tissue through and discard it.  

Starr shared this image with fans after undergoing Lasik SMILE surgery on her eyes in October 

Starr shared this image with fans after undergoing Lasik SMILE surgery on her eyes in October 

It changes the shape of the cornea and corrects nearsightedness. Ordinarily,  patients’ incision heals within a few days, without stitches, and their vision is quickly improved.  

It is unclear where Starr underwent her procedure in Detroit.

She had the surgery in October and took four weeks off then returned to work for one day in November but it was too much of a struggle for her and she was back at home the next day. 

In a video uploaded to her Facebook page on November 13, the day she went back to work, she was downcast as she asked viewers for their prayers and well wishes. 

‘I am struggling a little bit so I need all the prayers and well wishes. This is a hard go.

‘If you have any tips I’d appreciate it, I’m trying to stay strong and get through this recovery.

‘Thanks again for all the wishes, I’m excited to be back I just want to get my vision back so I can keep you guys smiling,’ she said. 

The following day, she posted that she had not yet been ready to go back to work. Yesterday was a struggle for me. I really wanted to come back but I need more time to recover.

In a video she uploaded on November 13, Starr said she was having a 'hard go' recovering from the surgery and asked fans on Facebook for their prayers and well wishes

In a video she uploaded on November 13, Starr said she was having a 'hard go' recovering from the surgery and asked fans on Facebook for their prayers and well wishes

In a video she uploaded on November 13, Starr said she was having a ‘hard go’ recovering from the surgery and asked fans on Facebook for their prayers and well wishes 

The day after she posted the video, she revealed that it had been too soon for her to go back to work 

The day after she posted the video, she revealed that it had been too soon for her to go back to work 

‘Please keep me in your thoughts during this challenging time. Will keep you updated,’ she said. It was her final post.   

Starr had two degrees, one in broadcast meteorology and one in geography and communications. 

She regularly shared photographs of her happy family life on her public Facebook page.

Before working for Fox 2, she worked for Fox 45, WKAG 3 and WLNS.  Hers is the second laser-eye-related surgery in a month. 

Starr and her husband Daniel have two young children. They are shown with their kids, in a photograph she shared with Fox fans on Facebook, and her parents 

Starr and her husband Daniel have two young children. They are shown with their kids, in a photograph she shared with Fox fans on Facebook, and her parents 

Starr and her husband Daniel are pictured. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unknown 

Starr and her husband Daniel had been married for eight years before she took her own life 

THE RISKS OF LASER EYE SURGERY

Of some 600,000 Americans that get laser eye surgery, or LASIK, only about one percent experience complications.

But for those who do, the effects can be devastating.  

Complications can include: 

  • Vision loss
  • Impaired vision  
  • Pain or burning 
  • Haloing 
  • Multiple-vision 

In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration conducted a clinical trial to assess patient-satisfaction after LASIK.

About half of the patients in the trial developed burred or distorted vision that they had never experienced before surgery – even if their sight was technically ‘improved.’ 

They also found that patients were about half as likely to tell their doctors about developing complications after surgery as they were to admit to these issues in an online survey. 

The American Refractive Surgery Council claims that LASIK has never been the ‘primary cause’ of someone’s post-operative blindness. 

Back in 2008, the FDA held a hearing and heard testimony from patients who had suffered from blurred vision or burning eyes for years ever since surgery.

Families claimed their loved ones had lost their jobs and even been driven to suicide by the complications they developed after LASIK. 

LASIK also requires the surgeon to cut a ‘flap’ in the front of the cornea and fold it back, which raises the risks of infection and, if the flap is not properly replaced, this can cause blurred or double-vision. 

The newer SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction) procedure is supposed to minimize those risks because it requires a much smaller incision in the cornea. 

SMILE procedures are only intended to correct nearsightedness. 

It still carries risks of: 

  • Haloed or glared vision 
  • Debris getting into the corneal incision area
  • Infection
  • Needing ‘retreatment’ with a more invasive surgery  
  • Making vision worse
  • Blindness 

 Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology, AllAboutVision.com

In November, Canadian Paul Fitzpatrick, 56, took his own life after blaming the procedure for giving him 20 years of intolerable pain in his eyes. 

It is unclear if Starr was taking any type of medication to recover from the procedure.

In November, Canadian Paul Fitzpatrick, 56, took his own life after blaming the procedure for giving him 20 years of intolerable pain in his eyes.

In November, Canadian Paul Fitzpatrick, 56, took his own life after blaming the procedure for giving him 20 years of intolerable pain in his eyes.

Paul Fitzpatrick, 56, underwent a laser PRK procedure in 1996 that involved removing the thin, top layer of the eye and reshaping corneal tissue to sharpen vision – a predecessor of the popular Lasik eye surgery.

Since then, the father-of-two suffered headaches and described feeling needles in his eyes as well as an unbearable dry and burning sensation.

He left a suicide note when he took his life in October, which described the pain he felt that pushed him to death.

‘I cannot experience any type of pleasure anymore,’ Paul wrote. ‘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. 

The past few months have been unbearable.’

If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs confidential help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website here. 

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