TV Meteorologist Kills Self at 35

Jessica Starr leaves behind 2 young children
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 13, 2018 3:08 PM CST
TV Meteorologist Kills Self at 35
Jessica Starr in an appearance on Fox 2 Detroit.   (YouTube)

A TV meteorologist died by suicide amid a struggle with complications from Lasik surgery. Fox 2 Detroit announced Jessica Starr's death on air Thursday morning, saying in a statement her colleagues are "in deep shock." Starr underwent Lasik SMILE surgery in October, posting on Facebook that it "went well," but four weeks after the procedure she said in a live video to her followers that while she had just returned to work, she was struggling with dry eye and other lingering vision issues; she asked for prayers and said she had been told it could be up to three months before she felt 100%. Just a day later, in her last Twitter post on Nov. 14, she said, "Update; 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. Will keep you updated."

Starr had been with Fox 2 Detroit since 2012, the Detroit Free Press reports. The 35-year-old leaves behind a husband and two children, the Springfield News-Sun reports: 5-year-old son Noah and 3-year-old daughter Riley. Her colleagues have been sharing fond remembrances of her and mourning her online, People reports. Deadline notes that while the risk of serious side effects following laser eye surgery is officially low, anecdotally, reports have been shared of problems being more common. Just last month, a Canadian man's suicide was blamed on side effects following laser eye surgery, the New York Daily News reports. The founder of online support group Lasik Complications told CTV after that case that there have been 10 suicides following laser eye surgery in the US. (More on the risks of Lasik here.)

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