A man has gone viral on TikTok after sharing how refractive eye surgery allegedly left him with nerve damage and £40,000 ($50,000 USD) in bills.
Hayden Hutchins decided to undergo the operation in an attempt to improve his eyesight.
The 22-year-old was nearsighted and didn’t require any major intervention, but just didn’t want the hassle of wearing glasses.
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Tragically, since the procedure, his eyesight is worse than ever.
The success rate for the procedure varies depending on the source, but usually sits around 80-95%.
Hayden is now warning others to think twice before getting eye surgery if it’s not necessary, and to just wear glasses or lenses instead.
“I never worried about my eyes before the procedure,” Hayden, a bartender from North Carolina, US, told Need To Know.
“I just wanted to not have to wear glasses anymore.
“Sadly, nothing has gotten rid of the pain or vision issues.
“My vision now fluctuates all day long, sometimes seeing sharper and sometimes seeing blurrier.
“I have tried scleral lenses, fish oil, acupuncture, pain meds and lots more.
“In addition, I have had to pay to attend a voluntary therapy program to help me cope with my new normal.
“It’s more of a maintenance than a cure.”
Hayden booked the refractive surgery for 12 May 2023 and paid £3,050, ($3,800), as well as a £400 ($500), co-managing fee to his referring optometrist’s office.
The procedure can correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia.
But soon after, he started to feel horrific side effects.
He said: “I had chronic eye pain, foreign body sensation, and irritation.
“I could not see correctly in the dim or dark, which gave me double vision, ghosting and loss of sharpness.
“Which is uncorrectable.
“I feel and know for a fact that all of the things I am experiencing were never informed to me.
“Chronic pain was not mentioned, nor did I see it in any consent form.”
Hayden has since spent nearly £40,100, ($50,000) on follow-up procedures to fix his eyes.
As a result of his experience, Hayden has decided to train as an eye doctor to help other people in situations like his.
He added: “It is extremely unethical and deceptive how they market such procedures.
“With my newfound passion, I now want to be an ophthalmologist.
“After going through this unfortunate process, I would like to focus on it to advocate against unnecessary elective procedures that have damaged and ruined so many lives.”
Lucy said: “I heard someone say if lasik is so safe then why do almost all eye doctors still wear glasses?”
Mary added: “I got Lasik but can’t see at night.”
Beliz commented: “I regret mine…. barely lasted five years and now I have dry eyes.”
Kaitlin wrote: “Mine lasted a year and my vision has now reverted almost to what it was.”
An said: “I’m so so sorry.”
Sophie added: “I think it’s like this with any surgery. Plastic surgery can have complications too.”
Cecy commented: “My dry eyes are insane, it’s uncomfortable to even sleep sometimes.”
Daisy wrote: “I had it done two years ago and now I’m back to wearing glasses.”
