MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release

SINGAPORE NATIONAL EYE CENTRE LAUNCHES VISIONSAVE MOBILE EYE BUS ON 18TH NATIONAL EYE CARE DAY

Singapore, 25 November 2017 – To mark the 18th National Eye Care Day, Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) launched a Mobile Eye Bus at its VisionSave Carnival. The VisionSave Mobile Eye Bus will travel to various locations and nursing homes, so more members of the community can receive eye checks and be educated on eye care. Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of The Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) also graced the event as Guest-of-Honour, and declared the opening of the 18th National Eye Care Day and unveiled the VisionSave Mobile Eye Bus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at SNEC today.

National Eye Care Day
An annual community event since 1990, the National Eye Care Day is supported by the eye departments of government restructured hospitals from various healthcare clusters, namely Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. The occasion aims to make eye care more accessible, by offering free eye screening programmes and eye care talks.


Bringing Eye Care Closer to the Elderly and Underprivileged Community with VisionSave Mobile Eye Bus
According to the Ministry of Health, elderly population is likely to double by 2030 in Singapore, thus age-related eye diseases such as Cataract, Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy will be more common . If undetected, it may result in vision loss.

This is a scenario that is especially evident among the elderly and unprivileged segments in the community, who may stay oblivious of their condition due to the lack of awareness and education on the subject, or a lack of resources to seek help.

Professor Wong Tien Yin, Medical Director of SNEC, shared, “We discovered that 1 in 3 people detected with vision loss during community screenings, did not see a doctor for follow-up care.” 

He added, “As a national eye centre, SNEC together with the Singapore Eye Research Institute, we wanted to find ways to make eye care accessible to all segments of society – the elderly or under-privileged included. Through our VisionSave Mobile Eye Bus and VisionSave fundraising initiatives, we hope to help as many people save and preserve their sight as possible.”

Custom built by SNEC and SERI, the VisionSave Mobile Eye Bus is equivalent in size to a 45-seater bus and contains a full range of eye screening and diagnostic equipment. The Mobile Eye Bus is a novel eye care delivery which aims to reach out to the elderly and underprivileged community with poor mobility. Through this initiative, screening programs are implemented to ensure early detection, eye care referrals and health-related education in a bid to improve their eye health and care. The Bus will therefore bring eye care to the door step of Singaporeans especially, the elderly.

Promoting the importance of eye care at VisionSave Carnival
With the theme “Eye Care for the Family”, this year’s Eye Care Day aims not just to promote eye health, common blinding conditions and the importance of preventive eye care, but also to reach out to the elderly population who are at a higher risk of having age-related eye conditions. 

Carnival-goers of all ages were treated to a fulfilling day of activities, from free public talks on topics such as Common Childhood Eye Conditions, Cataract, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, to eye care education activities for young children. Through interactive games, skits and attractive posters, the carnival sought to educate members of the public through a fun and engaging way. One of the highlights at the carnival was the café-in-the-dark workshop, where people were able to experience how to dine in a low-vision setting.

To help detect diabetes-related eye conditions, an eye screening station was set up for senior citizens aged 55 and above that have diabetes and are currently not consulting an eye doctor.
The event drew a crowd of 1,500 people. All funds raised at the carnival will go to VisionSave, a campaign by the Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Research Institute to raise awareness of eye diseases and to save sight.
For more information about the Mobile Eye Bus and the VisionSave campaign, please email: ravi.chandran@snec.com.sg.
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About Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC)
Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) was incorporated in 1989 and commenced operations in 1990. It is the designated national centre within the public-sector healthcare network, and spearheads and coordinates the provision of specialised ophthalmological services with emphasis on quality education and research. Since its opening in 1990, SNEC has achieved rapid growth and currently manages an annual workload of 300,000 outpatient visits, 35,000 major eye surgeries and laser procedures.

Subspecialties in Cataract, Corneal and External Eye Disease, General Cataract and Comprehensive Ophthalmology,  Glaucoma, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Oculoplastic, Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Refractive Surgery, Ocular Inflammation and Immunology, Medical Retina and Surgical Retina have been established to provide a full range of eye treatment from comprehensive to tertiary levels for the entire spectrum of eye conditions.

For more information about SNEC, visit https://www.snec.com.sg.

About Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)
Established in 1997, SERI is Singapore’s national research institute for ophthalmic and vision research. SERI’s mission is to conduct high impact eye research with the aim to prevent blindness, low vision and major eye diseases common to Singaporeans and Asians. SERI has grown from a founding team of five in 1997 to a faculty of 226, encompassing clinician scientists, scientists, research fellows, PhD students and support staff. This makes SERI one of the largest research institutes in Singapore and the largest eye research institute in Asia-Pacific. In addition, SERI has over 100 adjunct faculties from various eye departments, biomedical institutes and tertiary centres in Singapore. SERI has amassed an impressive array of more than 2880 publications, scientific papers as of May 2017, and has secured more than $265 million in external peer-reviewed competitive grants. To date (as of May 2017), SERI’s faculty has been awarded more than 419 national and international prizes and filed more than 122 patents. Serving as the research institute of the Singapore National Eye Centre and affiliated to the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, SERI undertakes vision research in collaboration with local clinical ophthalmic centres and biomedical research institutions, as well as major eye centres and research institutes throughout the world.

For more information about SERI, visit http://www.seri.com.sg.

About VisionSave
The VisionSave campaign was initiated by SNEC and SERI in 2011, and serves as an important endeavour to improve the lives of patients by leveraging on philanthropic investment to pave the way for a holistic augmentation of ophthalmology care delivery, with the ultimate goal of saving sight and transforming the lives of patients, and beyond, through innovative, cost-effective impactful eye care therapeutics, preventative and treatment strategies.

For more information about VisionSave, visit https://www.visionsave.sg/.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Singapore National Eye Centre(SNEC) Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)
Mr Ravi Chandran
Corporate Communications
H/P: 81218569
E-mail: ravi.chandran@snec.com.sg