A friend directed me to this piece of news this morning, knowing I had done Lasik on my eyes in November 2006. Apparently, an eye centre in Singapore has suspended all their Lasik procedures pending checking, as they have had 17 reported cases of infection in patients. Scary!!
I did not do it in Singapore but at a reputable centre in Kuala Lumpur. Nevertheless, one can never be too careful.
If you are in Singapore and have done or plan to do Lasik on your eyes to correct short-sightedness, do read this article in the Straits Times.
I’ll reproduce it here for those who can’t link:
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Mar 14, 2007 Eye Centre stops all Lasik ops after spike in infections
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THE Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) has suspended all Lasik surgery – at least till the end of this month.It stopped all such operations last Wednesday, following a spike in the number of infections – 17 cases last Monday and Tuesday – among patients who had this operation to correct short-sightedness. This is the first time the centre has suspended its Lasik procedure since it began offering it in 1996. The type of inflammation the 17 had is not dangerous and will usually clear up on its own, but the centre decided against doing any more such operations until all equipment has been inspected. Seventeen cases in two days count as a spike when compared to the first two months of the year, when the centre saw 25 cases of inflammation following Lasik. Having 25 cases puts SNEC within international limits of inflammation – up to 3.2 per cent of patients is the norm – but it is still much higher than normal for the centre, which can go for months without a single such case. All 17 patients affected last week are recovering with treatment and will be monitored for some time. Another cause for concern, however, is that none of these cases were mild ones. The patients suffered some blurring of vision, a result of white blood cells rushing to the surgery site. Professor Donald Tan, SNEC’s deputy medical director, said there did not seem to be a pattern to the cases. The patients were operated on by different surgeons using all three machines at the centre. Neither private eye specialists nor SNEC’s outlet at Mount Elizabeth Hospital have come across similar spikes, so the problem appears to be centred at the SNEC in Outram. Checks will now been done on the Lasik machines by engineers. The facility’s air-conditioning system and the sponges and cleaning fluids used will also be inspected. Prof Tan said: ‘We like to over-react a little. It may upset some patients, but we put safety first.’ Aside from Lasik, there have been no problems with any other procedures done at the centre. Following the suspension, some patients will have their Lasik surgery done at SNEC’s Mount Elizabeth outlet. But because SNEC does between 500 and 600 Lasik surgeries a month, not all can go there. About 160 patients have been told that they will have to wait till next month. Because there is no subsidy for Lasik, some patients may well turn to the private sector instead of waiting. A civil servant who was to have been operated on last week may do just that. She wants to get it done soon because she is planning a dive trip and ‘having perfect vision makes it easier to dive’. Patients who need assistance can call the centre’s hotline on 6322-9599. KEEPING AN EYE ON SAFETY ‘We like to over-react a little. It may upset some patients, but we put safety first.’ |
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So, if you are in Singapore or know someone in Singapore who might not be aware of this piece of news, the contact numbers etc are in there.
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Scary. I have high degree of short-sightedness, and have been wondering about Lasik. What was your degree before Lasik? And would you recommend the KL Lasik center you went to?
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