A 26-year-old Pennsylvania police officer left a heartwrenching note revealing the reason behind his decision to take his own life.
Ryan Kingerski, a dedicated officer with the Penn Hills Police Department and a twin, had always dreamed of serving his community.
In August 2024, he took time off from his dream job to undergo the eye procedure, LASIK, which is widely marketed as safe and routine. Tragically, it marked the beginning of a rapid decline.
"He was very excited because they often tout - LASIK often touts - that you go in and within three days..." his mother, Stefanie, told CBS News, trailing off. His father, Tim, added, "Simple and effective routine surgery... that he would be back to work in a couple days."
But Ryan never returned to duty. Instead, the weeks and months following the operation were filled with unbearable side effects: double vision, debilitating headaches, floaters, dark spots, and extreme light sensitivity.
"He kept saying how bad the pain in his head was," his parents recounted. “He had a terrible headache and wasn’t able to focus, and the vision and the blurriness and everything else - and that just continued."
Desperate to find relief, Ryan's father took him from one specialist to another, but "it was one disappointment after another," Tim told WTAE.
As Ryan’s condition worsened, so did his mental state. "Regret was the big thing. Why would they do this to me? Why would they not tell me?" Stefanie recalled.
In January, after five months of excruciating suffering and failed treatments, Ryan took his own life. He left behind a final message that read: "I can't take this anymore. LASIK took everything from me."
“That’s the note that we got left,” his dad said. “It just... it ruined his life. Ruined it. Completely ruined his life in 12 seconds.”
The family believes the LASIK surgery was directly responsible for their son’s death. “People are going to watch this and say it’s mental health. This wasn’t mental health,” Tim shared. “I know my son before his surgery, and after his surgery were two completely different people.”
Adding to the pain, the facility that performed the procedure, LASIKPlus in Pittsburgh, dropped Ryan as a patient after he shared his negative experience on social media. In a statement to CBS, the clinic said, “Suicide generally cannot be reduced to any single cause,” and maintained that informed consent is always provided.
The American Refractive Surgery Council reports a serious complication rate of less than one percent, and nearly 700,000 to 800,000 LASIK procedures are performed annually in the U.S, per the National Institutes of Health.
Still, experts like Morris Waxler, the former FDA official who approved LASIK in 1999, have raised alarms.
Waxler, who later petitioned the FDA to withdraw its approval, said the procedure can have severe complications. "They cut nerves, then, in addition, they take out a divot, which removes all the support structure or muscle out of the support section and all of it," he explained. “Sometimes it grows back, sometimes it doesn't grow back, sometimes it grows back poorly."
Hayden Hutchins, another LASIK patient who experienced complications, amplified Ryan's story on social media. "All these people, Ryan included, like every single story that I hear, it's more or less the same,” Hutchins said. He added that patients with post-op issues are often “dismissed” or “gaslit” by doctors.
In April, Ryan's family gave the Penn Hills Police Department challenge coins and a heartfelt note honoring their son’s memory.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the son and brother that he was and the man that he became,” they wrote. “Our pain is unbearable, and our grief is forever now that he is gone.”
The department also shared a tribute on Facebook: “Ryan was not only a dedicated and hardworking officer but also a kindhearted friend to many of us… His loss leaves a void that cannot be filled, and our hearts are truly broken.”
Ryan’s parents are now urging others to research LASIK thoroughly and encouraging those with complications to report them via the FDA’s MedWatch form.
“He didn’t want anyone else to ever feel the same way,” Stefanie said. “Ryan would be here. All he did was tell the truth.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.