Asia Retina Eye Surgery Centre, one of the leading ophthalmology practices in Singapore, has launched a mobile app aimed at improving eye health education in Singapore by allowing the public to easily test the health of their eyes. This is the first-of-its-kind in Singapore and is built through the expertise of Asia Retina founder, Dr. Claudine Pang who developed this mobile app to help improve consumer education in eye health and to provide an easy way in which the public can access trusted eye health information and home tests.

The Asia Retina mobile app is free to download and use, and provides the public with easy access to clinically proven eye exams. These include tests for visual acuity, colour blindness, macular grid test, and a dry eye quiz.

To share the reasons behind the Asia Retina app, Dr. Pang said, “There is a lack of awareness and education around eye health in Singapore. Many eye diseases and conditions show little or almost no symptoms until they are in a late stage, and this can cause serious vision problems. The Asia Retina mobile app was developed for this purpose so that people can detect many vision problems early and can seek help from a trained medical professional.”

Singapore’s eye health issues

Being alert to changes in vision is important in picking up eye diseases. Early detection and treatment can slow down or even reverse the progression of these eye diseases. For instance, Singapore has one of the highest rates of myopia in the world, with approximately 60% of children becoming myopic by 12 years of age, and that number increases to 80% by the time they reach 18. Early detection is important in order to manage symptoms of myopia and in some cases cure it at an early age through eye drops, corrective lenses, and glasses.

Singapore’s other major health problem diabetes, if left untreated or uncontrolled, can have a dire effect on the patient’s vision. According to research by the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), up to 80% of people with long-standing diabetes will develop diabetic retinal disease. This disease may have no symptoms in the initial phase, although severe cases can lead to blindness. Therefore, early recognition and treatment of eye conditions especially in at-risk individuals can prevent blindness in their future.

Dr. Pang also shared, “Regular testing is crucial and adults should go for a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year. In between visits, using the Asia Retina mobile app’s eye exams would be a good way to continuously track your eye health. We will be continuing to add new eye exams to the mobile app in the future and improve the overall user experience.”

Staying ahead of the curve

Asia Retina Eye Surgery Centre has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology in the eye health industry. The use of the latest state-of-the-art equipment in the clinic has helped them stand out from the rest of the private eye surgery centres in Singapore. The centre is also completely paperless and manages all patients through a completely digital system.

The Asia Retina mobile app continues their strong focus on technology. The mobile app will also be offered to all Asia Retina customers in order to help them book and manage their appointments. Customers can create a personal profile that is regularly updated with their medical records and scans, as well as have the clinic staff update their eye drop schedule. This is a crucial aspect for patients who require regular doses of eye drops, but may forget due to a busy schedule. This can cause discomfort or in extreme cases slow down the recovery process for patients, which is why a daily reminder becomes so important.

This will also help improve patient experience, as most patients often leave clinics empty-handed and there is some confusion about next steps as well as being able to understand the diagnosis and future treatment. By providing patients with this digital profile, Asia Retina patients are now able to access all their necessary eye health information or records. This further becomes handy for future visits, or even if they are seeing a different ophthalmologist, as they have access to their latest medical records.