Sohaib Ashraf has been living with debilitating pain for nine years and was forced to give up his job as a pharmacist after undergoing laser eye surgery.

A former pharmacist has told how laser eye surgery left him suffering from pain so horrific he felt suicidal.

Sohaib Ashraf underwent the surgery nine years ago and life has never been the same again.

For a long time doctors couldn't work out what was wrong with him, but he was eventually diagnosed with recurrent corneal erosion syndrome, dry eye and neuropathic pain.

Sohaib still struggles with pain every day and says he's now "just surviving".

Sohaib was treated with LASEK surgery, a procedure where a cutting laser is used to change the shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue at the front of the eye (cornea) to improve vision.

One of the biggest laser eye surgery stories to hit headlines was in 2018 when US meteorologist Jessica Starr committed suicide after having LASIK.

The Fox 2 Detroit weather presenter was forced to take a month off work because of the pain and vision problems she was experiencing.

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), where Sohaib previously worked, a haze effect is one of the most common complications seen across laser eye surgery patients.

The NHS says common side effects of laser eye surgery include mild and gritty discomfort and visual disturbances including glare from oncoming headlights when driving at night.

But Sohaib says more people need to be warned about the possible side effects – and has made it his mission to properly inform those considering having the surgery?