A local family is filing a lawsuit against LASIKPlus and a surgeon after the death of their son.
It’s a story Channel 11 has been following for more than a year.
Officer Ryan Kingerski was a Penn Hills officer who had debilitating complications after LASIK eye surgery.
He died by suicide in January 2025.
The law firm representing his family says they’ve filed a lawsuit, which claims Kingerski was never told about safer alternatives to LASIK or the possible risks of surgery, so he could not make an informed decision.
The firm also released a statement from the family which says in part: “We lost him not just to a procedure, but to a system that refused to listen … refused to warn, and refused to care.”
LASIKPlus previously told Channel 11 there is no clinical evidence linking suicide to LASIK eye surgery.
A life cut short
Ryan Kingerski was 26 years old when he died by suicide in January 2025, months after undergoing LASIK surgery. His parents, Stefanie and Tim Kingerski, have spoken publicly about their son’s struggles following the procedure and say they hope sharing his story will raise awareness about what they describe as the rare but serious risks associated with LASIK.
“Twelve seconds,” Tim Kingerski told Channel 11. “Twelve seconds is what it took for him to have his surgery that took his life from him.”
Tim Kingerski said he drove his son home after the procedure and immediately knew something wasn’t right.
“On the ride home, he kept saying, ‘Something is not right with my right eye,’” he said. “He said, ‘It’s very foggy. I can’t see out of it,’ and the pain in my head.”
According to the lawsuit, Kingerski suffered debilitating complications within days of surgery, including chronic eye and facial pain, severe visual distortions and extreme light sensitivity.
The complaint alleges those complications left him unable to work, drive safely or maintain his quality of life.
The lawsuit further alleges Kingerski had no prior history of mental or behavioral health concerns and claims his death “was a direct and foreseeable consequence of complications that his preoperative clinical data predicted—and that were never disclosed.”
The family alleges Dr. Rom never met with Kingerski before surgery, never discussed his alleged high-risk profile or safer alternatives, and failed to obtain meaningful informed consent.
According to the lawsuit, Kingerski’s pre-operative testing showed thin corneas—approximately 494 microns, below what the complaint describes as the preferred threshold of 520 microns—along with three other elevated risk factors that, the family alleges, should have disqualified him from undergoing LASIK.
The lawsuit also argues that a standard consent form presented by a technician shortly before surgery did not constitute informed consent.
The Kingerskis say Ryan desperately searched for answers as his symptoms worsened.
After his death, Tim Kingerski said the family found a note in which Ryan referenced the procedure.
“The note he left said, ‘I can’t take this anymore. LASIK did this to me,’” Tim Kingerski said.
Stefanie Kingerski said she hopes the lawsuit will help prevent another family from experiencing the same loss.
“He deserved better,” she said. “He should be here. He should be telling this story.”
LASIKPlus responds
LASIKPlus has previously told Channel 11 there is no clinical evidence linking suicide to LASIK eye surgery.
In a statement sent Wednesday, the company said it was heartbroken by the tragedy but cautioned against drawing a direct cause-and-effect relationship between LASIK and suicide, calling suicide a complex issue influenced by many factors.
LASIKPlus also said more than 20 million LASIK procedures have been performed in the United States and cited research showing a complication rate of less than 1% and patient satisfaction rates exceeding 95%.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Like any medical procedure, there are risks. There can be side effects. There can be complications. Patients deserve transparency about that, and they deserve support if something doesn’t go as planned.
“What we need is balance, not fearmongering or blind defense. We need doctors and surgical centers to continue to take every patient’s concerns seriously, to continue to provide consistent follow-up, and to continue to ensure informed consent is not just a formality but a meaningful conversation. We also need compassion and nuance when tragedies like this occur,” Kyle E. Hackett, a lawyer for LCA-Vision Inc., said.
The FDA previously told Channel 11 it takes reports of adverse events following LASIK seriously and said doctors should thoroughly evaluate whether patients are appropriate candidates because LASIK is not suitable for everyone.
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