He was young, dedicated to public service, and full of life until a common eye procedure changed everything.

Ryan Kingerski, a 26-year-old police officer in Pennsylvania, died by suicide in January 2025 after months of debilitating side effects from LASIK eye surgery, prompting his family to call for stronger oversight and transparency in the industry, as Fox News reports.

Kingerski, who served with the Penn Hills Police Department, underwent LASIK surgery in August 2024 in hopes of finally living without glasses or contact lenses. According to his parents, he had worn corrective lenses since middle school and saw LASIK as a routine opportunity to improve his quality of life.

The procedure, meant to be straightforward and low-risk, quickly went awry. On the ride home from surgery, Ryan told his parents that something didn’t feel right with his vision—his right eye was blurry, and the discomfort persisted. His family hoped it was temporary, but things only grew worse.

Visual disturbances emerge

In the weeks that followed, Ryan battled a host of painful and disturbing symptoms. These included headaches, double vision, starbursts, halos, ghosting, and other visual disruptions that shattered any hope of normalcy. His mother, Stefanie Kingerski, later learned that these symptoms were due to higher-order aberrations—severe distortions of vision that aren't correctable with glasses.

A corneal specialist eventually determined that Ryan's corneas were dangerously thin, a condition that should have disqualified him as a LASIK candidate. It’s a red flag that his parents believe the clinic should have identified before moving forward with the operation. “In a nutshell, he was not a candidate, and they should have caught that,” Stefanie said. “They should have warned him.”

A life derailed

Despite visiting multiple specialists, Ryan’s symptoms never improved. The once-active police officer who loved his job withdrew from the people and hobbies he once enjoyed. His father, Tim Kingerski, recounted, “We told him to give it some time, but it just got worse.”

It became, according to Stefanie, “complication after complication and no improvement.” The daily struggle became overwhelming, and after five months of physical and emotional anguish, Ryan died by suicide in January 2025. His family found a note that read: “LASIK took everything from me. I can’t take it anymore.”

Ryan's parents insist that he had no previous mental health struggles and are unequivocal in their belief that the surgery -- and the suffering that followed -- led directly to his death. “If this were a mental health issue,” Tim said, “I wouldn’t be talking about this. But there’s only one reason he’s not here.”

Family demands accountability, change

Now, the Kingerskis are pushing for change. They have filed a complaint with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which acknowledged the case in an email. The FDA stated that some LASIK clinics underreport patient injury data, a practice that clouds transparency and accountability within the elective surgery industry.

Tim and Stefanie have also connected with other families who claim similar issues -- post-LASIK complications followed by overwhelming mental health crises. Tim stressed the need for more honest and realistic warnings for prospective patients: “The consent form should say that LASIK can and has caused permanent damage that makes you want to kill yourself, because that is a fact.”

“People are being hurt every day by something that is touted as safe and effective, which we can tell you it's not,” he added. Their advocacy joins others who have linked suicides to LASIK, including the cases of Jessica Starr and Max Cronin in previous years.

Practitioners defend procedure's safety

Despite this tragedy, leaders in the ophthalmologic community continue to defend the procedure. Dr. James Kelly explained that most complications are minor, such as dry eye, and often diminish over time. He encouraged patients to seek experienced care both for vision issues and for mental health support if needed.

The Refractive Surgery Council maintains that LASIK is safe and effective for properly screened candidates, stating that serious, lasting complications happen in fewer than 1 percent of patients. They also stressed the importance of thorough pre-screening to avoid cases like Ryan’s.

Stephen D. McLeod, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, expressed condolences but urged caution about drawing automatic conclusions. “The answer to the question of why a person chooses to die by suicide is complex,” he said. “Regardless, this is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to Ryan Kingerski’s family.”

Lessons to learn

1. Comprehensive screening is essential before elective surgery: Ryan’s thin corneas should have indicated he was not a candidate for LASIK. Patients should seek multiple professional opinions before undergoing such procedures.

2. Informed consent should be thorough and transparent: A signature on a form is not enough. Patients deserve explicit information about all potential outcomes—even rare, devastating ones.

3. Mental health monitoring should accompany high-risk medical procedures: Post-operation psychological support may help patients cope with unexpected complications.

Why this story matters

This story highlights the dire consequences that can result from medical oversight and inadequate patient screening.  It opens a conversation about the mental toll of physical suffering from elective procedures.

More importantly, it underscores the need for systemic reforms in how risks are communicated and tracked in elective surgeries like LASIK.