International eminence in ophthalmology
To lead the overall development of ophthalmology by:
Providing the highest quality cost-effective ophthalmic care
Nurturing and renewing the necessary human resources
Pursuing high-impact competitive research
World-renowned eye surgeon Professor Arthur Lim was appointed SNEC’s first medical director.
SNEC saw its first patient in October.
First operation in SNEC performed by Dr Peter Tseng on 14 November.
SNEC is one of the few centres in the world where every single major operation is recorded for teaching and monitoring. This has helped to maintain high standards and excellent surgical outcomes.
SNEC hosted the 26th International Congress of Ophthalmology (ICO) for the first time with 8,000 delegates, the largest international conference in Singapore.
SNEC was officially opened by then Health Minister Mr Yeo Cheow Tong.
Professor Ang Chong Lye became SNEC’s third medical director.
SNEC held the first annual National Eye Care Day with eye screening services for the elderly.
SNEC received the Excellence for Singapore Award for clinical and research breakthroughs such as conjunctival stem cell transplantation.
SERI released the first findings from the Atropine in the Treatment of Myopia (ATOM) clinical trial on children in 2003. Low-dose atropine is now available as a treatment option for childhood myopia at SNEC, other healthcare institutions and overseas.
SERI scientists became the first in the world to discover a gene that causes congenital corneal dystrophy, a severe form of blindness affecting children.
SNEC doctors became the first to establish a strong link between a blinding fungal infection with a contact lens solution. That led to a worldwide recall of the product, halting the epidemic. The team received the inaugural Minister for Health Award.
2008
Professor Donald Tan was appointed as SNEC’s fourth medical director.
SERI was awarded a $25-million grant to develop a new, multidisciplinary five-year programme focusing on two major causes of global blindness, corneal disease and glaucoma.
Tan Endoglide ™, a patented device endothelium insertion system for corneal transplantation, was named after Professor Donald Tan and his team.
Professors Donald Tan, Roger Beuerman and Aung Tin were the pioneer recipients of prestigious President’s Science Award 2009 for their innovative breakthroughs in ‘bench-to-bedside’ medical research in blinding corneal diseases and glaucoma, leading to major advancements in scientific knowledge and the treatment of these diseases.
Professor Wong Tien Yin, then SERI Director, was awarded the President’s Science Award 2010 for the development and use of novel retinal imaging to understand pathways in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
SERI marked its 15th anniversary, and introduced the Singapore Integrated Diabetic Retinopathy Programme (SiDRP), a national diabetic retinopathy screening programme at polyclinics.
Asia’s first DMEK - advanced corneal transplantation technique successfully introduced by SNEC.
SERI launched its inaugural fund raising initiative via the ‘Eyes that tell Stories’ photo exhibition, featuring the eyes of Singapore’s founding father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, among others.
SERI was admitted as a full member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). An international alliance, the IAPB partners the World Health Organization to lead efforts in blindness prevention.
SNEC partners with Duke-NUS to launch the Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme, strengthening its academic medicine mission.
SERI scientists, in collaboration with Genome Institute of Singapore, National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, discovered three genes linked to primary angle closure glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in Chinese people. This finding was published in the prestigious Nature Genetics journal.
SERI launched its inaugural fund raising gala dinner, ‘The EYE Ball’ in October with President Tony Tan Keng Yam gracing the occasion.
Professor Wong Tien Yin was appointed as SNEC’s fifth medical director of SNEC.
The $5 million Arthur Lim Professorship in Ophthalmology was set up by SNEC and Duke-NUS. Professor Donald Tan was named the first Arthur Lim Professor in Ophthalmology in October.
Professor Donald Tan, Professor Aung Tin and Professor Saw Seang Mei from SNEC/SERI were listed as the top 100 ophthalmologists in the UK-based journal, The Ophthalmologist. Professor Wong Tien Yin was named the world’s most prolific author on diabetic macular edema.
SNEC produced and made available Myopine™ eye drops (0.01% atropine) to reduce progression of childhood myopia.
Two eye research teams were conferred the President’s Science and Technology Awards. The first, led by Professor Wong Tien Yin and his team from NUS and A*STAR for the development of a suite of novel eye image analysis technologies and the other, led by Associate Professor Tina Wong and her team from NTU for the development of a sustained drug-delivery technology to apply the anti-glaucoma medicine.
SNEC Retina Centre was set up to manage vitreo-retinal disorders, with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and its complications.
Establishment of Medical and Surgical Retina departments.
SNEC and SERI collaborated with Ngee Ann Polytechnic to design and develop an eye drop assistive device to enable simple and convenient eye drop application. This novel eye drop guide, OptoAid, is a magnetic snap-fit modular eye drop guide to allow accurate and independent self-instillation by the elderly and children.
SNEC celebrated 25 years of service to the nation.
SNEC launched three SNEC/SERI books – SNEC 25 Highlights, Eye on Excellence and 25 Research Papers with Clinical Impact, published in commemoration of SNEC 25th Anniversary.
Introduction of the Visionary Award to recognise an individual’s outstanding achievements and selfless spirit that have made a positive impact on the country, region or even the world. The inaugural award was conferred to Professor Tommy Koh.
Official opening of the SNEC Eye Clinic @ CGH at Changi General Hospital.
Inauguration of The Robert Loh Professorship.
SNEC-SERI Faculty led the organising of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress together with the Singapore Society of Ophthalmology and College of Ophthalmologists, Academy of Medicine, Singapore – which received 5,000 delegates in Singapore and reaffirmed our leading position in the region.
PLANO, the first spinoff from the SNEC-SERI Ophthalmic Technologies Incubator Programme, was set up to promote healthy smart device usage among children.
SNEC and SERI launched the VisionSave Mobile Eye Bus that will bring eye screening to the doorstep of Singaporeans, especially the underprivileged community and the elderly living alone and/or have poor mobility.
SNEC was appointed the regional examination and testing centre of the International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (IJCAHPO) on 10 November.
SNEC, SERI and National University of Singapore School of Computing co-developed a new Artificial Intelligence system to screen for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
SNEC and SERI spearheaded first Asia-wide trial in glaucoma surgery to study two of the most widely used glaucoma surgeries to guide treatment approaches for Asian patients.
Opening of SNEC Eye Clinic @ Bedok.
SERI and SNEC awarded $24 million grant for AMD study.
Conferment of Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professorship to Professor Aung Tin.
Opening of SNEC Eye Clinic @ Sengkang at Sengkang General Hospital.
SNEC, SERI and Johnson & Johnson Vision announced a S$36.35 million research collaboration to tackle myopia.
SNEC hosted joint meeting on myopia. The meeting involved the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI).
SNEC Visioneer Programme, a volunteer initiative to enhance patient experience, was launched.
SNEC’s Myopia Centre was launched in August. This holistic one-stop hub is dedicated to the prevention, management and education of myopia.
SNEC, SERI, Moorfields Eye Hospital, and University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology signed MOU to utilise AI, big data analysis and teleophthalmology for global ophthalmic services.
SNEC successfully trained 13 ophthalmic nurses with the knowledge and skills to administer intravitreal (IVT) injections to patients with no compromise to safety and outcomes.
SiDRP team received National Clinical Excellence Team Award at the National Medical Excellence Awards (NMEA) 2019.
Adjunct Professor Donald Tan, Professor Roger Beuerman, Associate Professor Audrey Chia and Professor Saw Seang Mei were conferred the President's Science and Technology Awards 2019 for their work in leading clinical research and combating myopia in Singapore and beyond.
Vision, Beyond 2020SNEC celebrates 30 years of service to the nation.
SNEC commemorated its 30th Anniversary at a Dinner and Dance, themed “Pearl Jubilee: Vision 2020”. The occasion united SNEC’s management and staff, hospital partners and former board members to mark the institution’s achievements and future aspirations.
SNEC organised the 35th Singapore-Malaysia Joint Meeting in Ophthalmology, held in conjunction with the 1st Asia-Pacific Ocular Imaging Society (APOIS) Meeting. Attended by 500 delegates from 36 countries, the event united a global community of ophthalmologists through knowledge exchange to pave the way towards more innovative endeavours.
SNEC launched a new mode of care by extending video consultations to glaucoma patients whose conditions are stable. SNEC intends to offer this telemedicine service to 500 glaucoma patients by the end of 2020.
VisionSave launched a fundraising initiative, the Heroes Fund, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund was set up to strengthen Singapore's defence against epidemics. The money raised will help us to uncover new ways to detect, diagnose, and prevent the spread of infectious diseases through the eyes. It will also support SNEC’s healthcare workforce with quality training, tools, innovations, and new models of care in the field of Ophthalmology.
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