Woman left with 'constant pain' and £25k medical bill after laser eye surgery
- 4 months ago
A woman was left with "constant extreme pain" and was forced spend £25K (AU$50k) on follow up treatments after undergoing laser eye surgery.
Erin Orchard, 36, from Sydney, Australia, had the surgery in 2019 to avoid wearing glasses on her wedding day.
But since the procedure, she has been suffering from facial spasms, debilitating pain and extreme sensitivity to light.
Her condition - neuropathic corneal pain - is little-understood reaction to the surgery.
Erin says the pain she feels every day is "like glass stabbing into my eyes" and is urging others to think twice about getting the procedure.
Erin, who is studying a master's in occupational therapy, began to have symptoms days after the surgery and they have been ongoing since.
The pain comes in flare-ups, which are caused by small environmental changes such as wind or air conditioning.
She said: "Flare-ups are caused by things I never would have imagined, like wind, aircon or even if I'm too tired.
"It's hard to function or do day-to-day activities."
When the pain flares up she also get severe facial spasms, which she is forced to mitigate these by getting botox treatments every three months.
During the first two months after her surgery, the light sensitivity left her unable to work at her then-job in animal rescue or leave the house.
She was forced to black out her windows using towels and cardboard.
She said: "In the beginning, I was trying to go out every day but after two weeks I stopped going out except for medical appointments.
"We had to black out our windows. We had blinds in the lounge so I spent a lot of time there.
"We used cardboard and towels to do it in the bedroom. I also had to wear sunglasses inside for months even after that."
Erin was so unwell that her parents flew from Brisbane to care for her.
Erin now regrets having the surgery and says she would have thought twice had she known the risks.
Erin is not aware or suggesting that the clinic is at fault but she feels she should have been given more warnings about the possible risks.
The effects of the surgery span beyond the physical for Erin.
To pay for her treatments, Erin had to use all of her savings - AU$20k (£10k) - that she and her now-husband Liam Orchard, 38, had put aside to buy a home.
They include regular ketamine infusions, anti-inflammatories and even eye-drops made from her blood and saline.
Friends and family also chipped in to help with the treatments.
Erin said: "I've spent AU$50k on the treatment. It was basically all our savings to start a life together.
"We had around 20k saved up. The rest came from our income and our wonderful friends and family.
"We were hoping to save to purchase a property and start a family together. We wanted to start the journey after our wedding in 2019."
The statistics are unclear as to how many people have suffered from corneal neuralgia after laser eye surgery.
Erin Orchard, 36, from Sydney, Australia, had the surgery in 2019 to avoid wearing glasses on her wedding day.
But since the procedure, she has been suffering from facial spasms, debilitating pain and extreme sensitivity to light.
Her condition - neuropathic corneal pain - is little-understood reaction to the surgery.
Erin says the pain she feels every day is "like glass stabbing into my eyes" and is urging others to think twice about getting the procedure.
Erin, who is studying a master's in occupational therapy, began to have symptoms days after the surgery and they have been ongoing since.
The pain comes in flare-ups, which are caused by small environmental changes such as wind or air conditioning.
She said: "Flare-ups are caused by things I never would have imagined, like wind, aircon or even if I'm too tired.
"It's hard to function or do day-to-day activities."
When the pain flares up she also get severe facial spasms, which she is forced to mitigate these by getting botox treatments every three months.
During the first two months after her surgery, the light sensitivity left her unable to work at her then-job in animal rescue or leave the house.
She was forced to black out her windows using towels and cardboard.
She said: "In the beginning, I was trying to go out every day but after two weeks I stopped going out except for medical appointments.
"We had to black out our windows. We had blinds in the lounge so I spent a lot of time there.
"We used cardboard and towels to do it in the bedroom. I also had to wear sunglasses inside for months even after that."
Erin was so unwell that her parents flew from Brisbane to care for her.
Erin now regrets having the surgery and says she would have thought twice had she known the risks.
Erin is not aware or suggesting that the clinic is at fault but she feels she should have been given more warnings about the possible risks.
The effects of the surgery span beyond the physical for Erin.
To pay for her treatments, Erin had to use all of her savings - AU$20k (£10k) - that she and her now-husband Liam Orchard, 38, had put aside to buy a home.
They include regular ketamine infusions, anti-inflammatories and even eye-drops made from her blood and saline.
Friends and family also chipped in to help with the treatments.
Erin said: "I've spent AU$50k on the treatment. It was basically all our savings to start a life together.
"We had around 20k saved up. The rest came from our income and our wonderful friends and family.
"We were hoping to save to purchase a property and start a family together. We wanted to start the journey after our wedding in 2019."
The statistics are unclear as to how many people have suffered from corneal neuralgia after laser eye surgery.