Millionaire dad-of-two, 56, kills himself after laser eye surgery caused him 20 years of agonising pain
He spent his final years with his eyes closed most of the time
A DAD-OF-TWO has taken his own life after suffering 20 years of unbearable pain following laser eye surgery.
Canadian Paul Fitzpatrick underwent the procedure in 1996 to remove the top layer of the eye and sharpen his vision - a predecessor of the popular Lasik eye surgery.
But since then, the 56-year-old suffered headaches described as feeling like needles in his eyes.
Paul left a suicide note when he took his own life in October, which described the pain he felt that pushed him to death.
His note read: "I cannot experience any type of pleasure anymore.
"Just the pain of burning eyes inside of my head and throughout myself.
"Since 1996 pain, pain and more pain. Please forgive me for not being strong enough to cope. The past few months have been unbearable."
Paul's parents Gene and Christine Fitzpatrick, of Ontario, spoke to CTV about their son's condition.
Gene said: "It ruined his life, and it also left a lot of people around him suffering.
"He had always worn glasses, maybe since he was about 12 and he just thought it would be great not to have them.
"He researched it and he made sure that he was going to the best place. He felt the PRK was safer because there was less cornea used."
PKR, or photorefractive keratectomy, was the first form of laser eye surgery and typically safe.
However, Paul's family said he began suffering from migraines and dry eyes shortly after his surgery.
Canadian doctors were unable to diagnose what was causing his pain, so the self-made-millionaire travelled to Europe and the US to find a specialist who could help.
He began treatments and underwent more surgeries which only made the pain worse.
Paul's family said in the months leading up to his death, the pain was so unbearable he would keep his eyes closed for most of the time, walking with a cane and planned to move in with his parents.
Christine said: "We didn't know what to do for him. We would recommend pain killers and he would take some.
"He wasn't one to take pain killers much, but when they wore off he said the pain was worse so he'd keep his eyes closed most of the time."
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Now his family believe he suffered from a rare, yet severe condition known as corneal neuralgia.
Corneal neuralgia can cause nerve damage to the eye causing excruciating pain.
"Had he been aware (of his condition)…he definitely would not have continued with subsequent surgeries," his brother Kevin Fitzpatrick said.
Paul's case is the first-known suicide from laser eye surgery in Canada, according to CTV.
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