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Building success one eye at a time. Pro athletes entrust their vision to Scottsdale surgeon

October, 2006

Ophthalmologist Jay Schwartz, 39, tracks his patients’ eye care by their batting averages, the number of hockey puck goals they make and basketballs they dunk.

That’s because the Scottsdale eye surgeon is the primary team eye doctor for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phoenix Coyotes and the Phoenix Suns.

“Yes, I’ve carefully kept track of players’ batting averages after I treated them,” said Schwartz, owner of the Schwartz Laser Eye Center, 8416 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. “One Diamondback player, after treatment, improved his average by ten points.”

Professional athletes, however, are only a small part of his growing business. The main source are Valley patients between the ages of 18 and 80 who receive a variety of eye care treatments, including laser surgery, lens implants and other corrective procedures.

Since he opened his eye care center nearly five years ago, Schwartz has performed 24,770 refractive surgery procedures. Average cost per patient is about $3,000, and the revenue from his practice is expected to reach $6 million for 2006.

Most eye treatment cases are not covered by primary medical insurance plans, he said. Some insurance programs do, however, offer eye care auxiliary plans, or rider plans.

Payment plans also are offered by the eye center. “But it’s not the money that’s important to me,” Schwartz said. “As a boy growing up in Chicago I always knew I wanted to go into medicine and become a surgeon. “And, unlike some other patients treated by surgeons, mine are mostly healthy and happy — before and after surgery.”

His eye care center, in the Sundown Ranch commercial complex near Route 101 and Shea Boulevard, includes 5,000 square feet of space with several treatment rooms, a lobby and an area set aside for glasses. But the sale of glasses are a relatively small part of his business. Most of his work involves laser surgery, or LASIK — Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis — a procedure that, if successful, allows patients to stop using glasses.

“LASIK can dramatically improve the vision for most people,” Schwartz said. “But it cannot promise perfect 20/20 vision for everyone.” Basically, LASIK surgery is a procedure that reshapes the cornea to correct problems such as farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism.

A laser surgical device is used to create a thin flap on the surface of the cornea. The flap is then laid back to expose the underlying layer, which is called the stroma. The laser then corrects the problem by removing a microscopic layer of the stroma. Then the surface flap is laid back to its original position over the stroma, and the healing process begins.

The treatment takes an average of 20 to 30 seconds. “Immediately following the surgery, most patients will notice an improvement,” Schwartz said. “But the vision may still be considerably hazy. The day after surgery, most patients can see well enough to drive a car and return to normal activities.

He also offers cataract removal as well as other surgical treatments, including implanting lenses. Older patients who receive cataract removals usually improve their near- and farsightedness and can then go without using glasses for close-up vision, Schwartz said.

The center is among 15 ophthalmologist offices that offer eye surgery in the Valley. Schwartz was attracted to the professional sporting world while living in Chicago and was a frequent visitor to basketball and baseball games.

“I always wanted to work with athletes,” he said. “So I was ecstatic when I was approached by all of the (Arizona) sports teams. It was a dream come true.”

The eye surgeon attends nearly every Phoenix Suns home games and, before each game checks with the players to see if they need optical help.

He is a regular at the Diamondbacks games and his office is filled with framed Diamondbacks jerseys and other athletic memorabilia.

The center also has a smaller office at 18275 N. 59th Ave. in Glendale.

Dr. Jay L. Schwartz Age: 39 Family: Wife, Brenda; children, Madelyn, 4, and Maxwell, 3 Resides in: Scottsdale Business: Owner and president, Schwartz Laser Eye Center, 8416 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale Key achievement: In 2002, opened a laser eye care center with eight employees and conducted nearly 2,000 procedures, earning $1.2 million in gross revenues. So far this year, Dr. Schwartz has participated in 3,349 surgical procedures, the staff has grown to 18 and the center expects to gross between $5 million and $6 million.

Dr. Schwartz is the chief ophthalmologist for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Coyotes. Success philosophy: Stay current with the latest technology; be a good listener and enjoy your work.

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Coyotes announce Dr. Jay Schwartz to serve as the team's new LASIK Ophthalmologist

January 22, 2004

Scottsdale, Arizona - Phoenix Coyotes Assistant General Manager Laurence Gilman announced today that the Coyotes have selected Dr. Jay Schwartz and Schwartz Laser Eye Center to serve as the team's new LASIK ophthalmologist.

"We are proud to have Dr. Schwartz and the Schwartz Laser Eye Center join our organization," said Gilman.  "Based on his track record and history of working well with local professional athletes, Dr. Schwartz will personally handle any LASIK surgery needs for the Coyotes moving forward."

Dr. Schwartz has worked with other sports teams including both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Phoenix Suns. "I'm honored to be asked to join the Phoenix Coyotes' medical team,"  said Dr. Schwartz. "The Coyotes have proven themselves to be a first-class organization.  I am looking forward to sharing the latest advancements in laser vision correction with the Coyotes' players and management.  Laser vision correction and sports have always been a natural fit.  As we have done with both the Suns and Diamondbacks, we at Schwartz Laser Eye Center will offer the Coyotes the same level of excellent care all of our patients have come to expect."

ESPN the Magazine

September 1, 2003

As good as Amare Stoudemire was last season, Suns coach Frank Johnson often wanted more. Sometimes I was like, Amare, why didn't you get that rebound?

Answer: Amare couldn't get what he couldn't see. Stoudemire's left eye was so weak, he could just make out the E on the eye chart. And because he never found a comfortable contact lens, he may be the only player to win Rookie of the Year with 20/400 vision in one eye. He was playing on instinct, says Jay Schwartz, the Team's Ophthalmologist.

The rest of the NBA wont even have that edge this season. Schwartz performed LASIK surgery in May, and now Stoudemire's left eye is 20/20. I really notice the difference, says the young star. Look out. Despite his poor sight and a bunion on his right foot that required surgery in June, Stoudemire still averaged 8.8 boards last season. Look for that number, and his touch he rarely shot from outside and hit just 66 percent from the line to improve.

So, too, should his petty cash. Seems Amare and Johnson often engaged in a friendly game of H-O-R-S-E after practice, with the rook coming out on the short end. Guess that's why I could take so much money from him, Johnson says. Not anymore.

Source: Paul Kix, ESPN The Magazine, September 1, 2003. Sight Lines, page 144.