By Steven Conley

Matt Swerdlow, a Patchogue native and junior Exercise Physiology major, recently decided to change the way he saw the world- literately.

“I couldn’t see five feet in front of me without my glasses or contacts,” Swerdlow said, who in January had laser eye surgery. “But the surgery made my vision better than it was with glasses or contacts.”

Lasik is a recently developed procedure that emerged in mainstream culture during the last several years. This procedure has changed the way people are seeing the world who previously used contact lenses or glasses. Lasik is the acronym for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis.

“I didn’t like glasses and my eyes became damaged from wearing my contacts all the time, so I made the decision,” Swerdlow said. “I was wearing my glasses since elementary school, so I was tired of wearing them.”

During the procedure, a special laser is used to reshape the cornea and improve focusing power. Most patients are amazed at the improvement in their vision following the surgery, but is there a long term cost for these immediate results?

Like many of the three million Americans who have undergone the procedure since 1995, Swerdlow was satisfied with the immediate results. According to Medical Devices and Surgical Technology Weekly, more than 85 percent of those who have had the surgery in the last five years said the surgery improved their overall quality of life and 93 percent of patients said they were satisfied with the results.

Patients report the ability to see when walking, improvement in personal safety and better performance in sports and fitness activities. While the benefits of the surgery are evident, risks exists.

Some patients have developed glares, halos and/or double vision that can seriously affect nighttime vision. Other patients have developed dry eye syndrome, which occurs when the eye is not able to produce enough tears to keep the eye moist and comfortable.

Only a certain percentage of patients will achieve 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts, and some may require additional treatment, which is not always possible.

Dr. Bradley Meltzer, O.D., of the Ophthalmic Center in East Setauket, said that not everyone is able to have Lasik, and candidates must undergo pre-surgical testing to determine the precise degree of correction necessary to achieve the best vision possible.

“When a patient first comes in, a complete eye exam is given to determine whether they are able to have the procedure, Meltzer said. “If there is damage to the optic nerve, or if the cornea is too thin or the pupil is too large, that would be something that would prevent someone from being able to have the surgery.”

The cost of the surgery can be expensive for many people, and it’s not covered by insurance at this point.

“My surgery was my parents’ gift for my 21st birthday,” Swerdlow said. “My parents paid most of the $4,400 for the surgery, but I had to pay out of my own pocket.”

Once a patient is approved and decides to have the surgery, the long-term side effects are unknown.

Jamie Linardo, a 45-year old high school English teacher from Babylon, had the surgery in 1999 and claims that the immediate results were terrific but she now needs to wear glasses and contacts more often.

“After the surgery I was near 20/20 vision, and I didn’t need any glasses or contacts at all,” Linardo said. “Now sometime I need to wear them and I’m starting to have some of the problems I had before the surgery.”

Linardo has experienced more sensitivity to bright lights, especially the sun and complains of blurred vision late at night or when first waking in the morning. Her nephew, Timothy Scheirer, 29, a firefighter from the Bronx, had the surgery in 2000 and claims to have the same sensitivity to bright lights.

“For the first two years or so after the surgery, my eyes seemed stronger and less sensitive to bright lights. Now I have trouble with bright lamps and the sun,” Scheirer said. “It’s not just squinting when a bright light hits my eye, it’s actually kind of painful to look at anything bright for more than a second, which is not even how it was before the surgery.”

Dr. Meltzer said there has not been much research done currently on long-term side effects, but with the growing number of patients having the procedure done, significantly more research has been conducted. Concluded with the research is the cornea, the part of the eye that the surgery affects, changes shape as it normally would. This would explain why patients are having problems several years later, but more research is still essential.

“I have had several patients come back two or three years after having the procedure and complain of various problems, usually sensitivity and blurred vision,” Meltzer said. “Research being done on these long-term effects has increased in the last few years and will continue to. However at the same time, the number of patients having the procedure could decrease due to the complications people are having years later.”

While research continues, Swerdlow, a National Champion Cheerleader at the University, who now teaches the young cheerleaders of America in Riverhead with his roommate Sean, is reaping the benefits of his improved vision.

“Not only has the surgery made me better at my job, Swerdlow said. “But it has made my job much more rewarding.”