A former LASIK patient is speaking out about the chronic pain she endured after having the surgery five years ago, prompting viewers to share her fears about the procedure.
TikToker Erin Orchard (@erinorchard88) candidly chronicled her post-LASIK journey to her more than 13,000 followers, describing daily pain as “so intense that it forces most people to seek emergency medical attention” in a recent TikTok video posted on January 7.
“All part of the grieving process,” Orchard captioned her video, which has been viewed 3.9 million times since it was first posted.
LASIK surgery has become an increasingly common corrective procedure despite its many risks and potential complications. Astigmatism, double vision, dry eyes and even vision loss can occur Mayo Clinic. Overcorrections and corrections caused by the laser used in the surgery may require a second LASIK procedure to correct.
@erinorchard88 Every part of the grieving process 💙 #Chronic illness # Chronic disease #Complications of laser surgery #Lasek # Prak #LASIK surgery #LASIK complex # Chest surgery #Surgery update #Plastic surgery #Surgical examination #Spon #SpoonyLife #Nerve pain # Chronic pain relief #Laser surgery #cornealgia # trigeminal neuralgia #Chronic pain life #Chronic pain #Chronic disease Tiktok #spooniesoftiktok ♬ Every single thing – house shaking
In a second uploaded video, Orchard revealed that she suffered from nerve damage after the LASIK procedure, which caused her to spend thousands of dollars on various treatments. She said she had two hospitalizations after surgery, including one on Christmas Eve.
“Accidentally, laser eye surgery ruined my life,” Orchard says emotionally before ending the video.
Another TikToker (@shanswanz) recently went viral after announcing that she had LASIK surgery in 2020 and found herself at the doctor’s office three years later with severe vision problems. There, she hid her eyes at the news that she was suffering from corneal neuralgia.
@erinorchard88 Laser eye surgery has ruined my life. #Laser surgery #Lasek #Nerve pain #Chronic illness #health care # Prak #LASIK surgery #ClassicCatch #Way ♬ Night Trouble by Petit Biscuit – Tyler
Chronic pain after surgery and symptoms like dry eyes were common for many viewers in the Orthodox Original Video comment section. I had LASIK in 2020 and have suffered from chronic eye pain ever since. It’s debilitating at times,” wrote user @shelby_nations.
“If it was LASIK 14 years ago, the pain finally subsided after 10 years. It wakes me up in REM sleep,” another viewer shared.
Many ophthalmologists said they did not believe in the procedure because they did not believe it. User @danakayalsepiclife said “I saw a photo of a conference of Lasik doctors and most of them were wearing glasses.” “This shocked me.”
Another viewer said, “I worked for an optometrist years ago, and she said she would never consider LASIK. It was enough to know I would never do it.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Orchard via Tik Tok direct message.
We visit the web to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Sign up for the Daily Dot newsletter to get the best and worst of the internet in your inbox every day.
*Originally published: January 16, 2024, 8:00 pm CST
Maya Y
Maya Wray is the 2022 FOIA Intern for The Daily Dot. She is currently a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, studying journalism in the Moody College Honors Program. She has written for the Daily Texan and the Austin Chronicle.
