Kathy Griffin and her Lasik nightmare

Published: April 29, 2020

Kathy Griffin is no stranger to plastic surgery. But when she put her corneas under the laser, she did not expect to come out half blind.

The stand-up comedian and TV personality has undergone multiple plastic surgeries in the past, including liposuction, rhinoplasty, browlift and Botox. She reportedly joked to Oprah: “I’m working on the new personality.“

But after she had Lasik surgery in 2003 there was little to joke about. The star underwent a total of five operations perfomed by her former surgeon Dr. Maloney, correcting mounting errors, until she was eventually left partially blind in her right eye.

On her website, Griffin states: “My doctor WAS Dr. Robert Maloney of the Maloney Vision Institute in Los Angeles and Extreme Makeover. I will not be going to him again.“

Her final procedure, carried out by another doctor lasted 90 minutes, after which she endured 17 stitches in her eye for three weeks. She urges those who are considering getting Lasik surgery to read her account and think twice.

On her website, she writes: “As of now, I’m not in pain anymore, but my vision in my right eye is extremely blurry. It can’t be improved with glasses or contacts.“

In addition, Kathy Griffin has released a video of herself following her last procedure, in which she says that people should know what could happen if the whole thing goes wrong.

Since 2000, around 800,000 people every year have had Lasik and have spent approximately $2.5 billion annually, according to the president of research company for the ophthalmic industry Market Scope, David Harmon, the New York Times reported.

According to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, 95.4% of patients say they have been happy with their procedure and ophthalmologists are confident that Lasik works.

“It’s very few people who don’t have a superb outcome, especially with the new technology,” Dr. Marguerite McDonald, the president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology told the NY Times.

Lasik is predominantly effective, but can sometimes go wrong

Writing for the newspaper, Abby Ellin describes her experience with Lasik, admitting that she only chose to undergo the procedure out of pure vanity. The columnist reports that she did not fully understand the risks involved, especially when she signed the waiver. Potential symptoms such as blurred vision and seeing haloes are temporary, the doctor told her.

And Dr. Belmont, who performed Ellin’s surgery has maintained that she still saw the operation as a success: “In 18 years of practice, I’ve never had a patient whose symptoms don’t go away. Most patients take three to six months to heal.”

Yet one year on, Ellin’s symptoms have not passed. “Still, I’m not mad at my doctor.“ She writes, “I’m mad at myself. No one forced me to do it. In our quick-fix culture, we forget that there are risks with any surgery, elective or not.

Other celebrities who have had Lasik include Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt, Elton John, Cindy Crawford and Jessica Simpson.