Visit to Singapore National Eye Centre

Three months ago I went to the Polyclinic when a stubborn stye/chalazion on my eyelid refused to go away after many months. The reason for going there is because I needed a referral to the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) in case the stye/chalazion doesn't go away after medication.

Note: If you ever need to go to SNEC for any eye exam, get the referral through a Polyclinic as you will be charged subsidised rates.

The referral landed me an appointment only three months later (which was yesterday)!

The SNEC is located in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Quite a sleek and modern place, and the staff there were quite friendly and efficient.

Anyway, I saw the doc after a short wait. The result was that my stye/chalazion was a small matter and I should not worry about it as it would go away on its own. However, the doc got more news for me. He told me that my IOP (intra-ocular pressure) was high and that my condition is known as OHT (ocular hypertension), which has a risk of leading to Glaucoma!

The doc on the clinic on the first level measured 30/21 (mm Hg) for both my eyes. Normal range is 10-21. Because of the high pressure, I was made to do several tests (requiring many types of eyedrops), including a test on my peripheral vision (which I passed with flying colours). Later, he referred me to a "super-specialist" on Glaucoma on the 3rd floor.

This "super-specialist" made another measurement of my IOP and he found it to be 26/21. Ok, slightly lower but still on the borderline of high. He explained that not everyone with OHT will get Glaucoma. There are many factors including high blood pressure and genetics etc. Anyway, I went through more tests including digital photography of my eye and some more scanning tests. No medication is required for now as there is no evidence that I am at high risk of having Glaucoma. Next appointment is in 2 weeks time where the doc will checkout the results of the tests and advise what is the next course of action.

Total time spent at SNEC is about 4+ hours. Total bill = SGD87, cos its subsidised.