Getting to Know Dr Chng Nai Wee

It's ironic that I did not aspire to be a doctor when young, but yet I am now moving towards a quarter of a century in medical practice. The decision to be a doctor was undertaken by my parents, who considered it a noble profession. #readmore

As a medical doctor, I use my medical knowledge and experience to heal. While I have been awarded for research, I devote most of my time to clinical practice. I consider it both a service, as well as a duty that I was destined to do, which I take seriously.

Nothing is more important to me than that I have tried my best for the good of the patient. Even if I am recalled in the wee hours of the morning, I always tell myself that this is the essence of what being a doctor is.

With my patients who have been with me for years, I look at how I can make a positive impact in their lives. With children, I ask how they are doing in school, and what their hobbies are. I like to know my patients, as an individual person most of all, and not a disease statistic.

As such, I make it a point to see all my patients personally myself before and after treatment, and also to counsel them well. This allows me to settle their nerves and set their expectations. I have an excellent working relationship with my patients.

In private practice, I am a significant co-owner of Eagle Eye Centre. On charitable causes, I perform community eye screenings and personally operate for free on financially-constrained and terminally-ill patients at our local hospice.

My experiences as a doctor go beyond merely treating patients. I also apply my medical knowledge in diverse fields, such as information technology and design, planning and development. 2 decades ago, I developed healthcare portals such as Doctors and Health Online and LifeMedic, which was the largest online patient record database at its time.

For years, I have been serving with the Assisi Hospice Development Committee helping with the construction of its new hospice. Besides serving as a member of the Medical Board of the Hospital, I have been involved in Continuous Medical Education and the Parkway credentialing of specialists.

I specialise in treating complex cataracts, presbyopia, and refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.

As an ophthalmologist of more than 20 years of practice in the field, I deal with myopia
prevention and treat a comprehensive range of eye diseases and conditions #readmore such as childhood eye problems, glaucoma, uveitis, pterygium and pinguecula, ocular surface diseases and dry eyes, cornea infections and dystrophies, recurrent corneal erosions, retinal tears, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, eyelid pathologies such as epiblepharon, ptosis, lower lid laxity, ectropion and entropion.

I am experienced in performing femtosecond-laser assisted cataract surgeries using a variety of platforms such as the Lensec and the Z8, as well as using different customised approaches to implant different kinds of premium lenses to achieve the best visual outcome for the patient according to their needs. #readmore

This customised and personalised implantation of lenses include astigmatism full-correction, different degrees of mono-vision, extended-range lenses such as Symfony, pseudo-accommodation lenses such as multi-focals and trifocals, and accommodating lenses such as Crystalens.

I am also experienced in the use of trans-epithelial photo-refractive keratectomy, a form of laser refractive treatment that is completely no-touch and sometimes known as "no-touch LASIK", which I have obtained excellent results. The patients suitable for this procedure typically have high degrees of refractive error and/or recurrent corneal erosions.

I am also experienced in the deployment of implantable contact lenses as well as the insertion of corneal inlays for the correction of presbyopia, such as Kamra.

My patient's holistic well-being takes priority, followed by my consideration of his visual needs. My philosophy is to exercise compassion in care, patience in listening, completeness in diagnosis, safety in treatment, and preparedness and attention to detail in surgery. #readmore

At the same time, I am open-minded to fresh perspectives, state-of-the-art technologies and new ideas. Once on setting up a training facility for a regional institution for the training of cataract surgery, I devised a wall plaque for the training doctors that read: 

"The novice operates by the book; the experienced operates with his hand; the master operates with his mind."

"The novice surgeon operates in fearfulness; the experienced surgeon operates in boldness; the master surgeon operates in humbleness."

For one patient with 3,500 degrees of myopia, I removed the cataracts and implanted lenses that enabled him to be spectacle-free.

Some patients with higher expectations may require a combination of lens implantations followed by refractive laser enhancements to achieve their desired results #readmore

One particular patient had scarring of the cornea from infections associated with contact lens use. I helped him regain his vision by performing trans-epithelial photo-refractive keratectomy on the affected eye, and laser-in-situ kerato-mileusis for the unaffected eye.

My appreciation of the risk-reward ratio in deciding whether it is worthwhile for patients to pursue investigations of a disease condition or to be conservatively monitored instead. This makes for a balanced approach in the care of patients. #readmore

In the context of a lifetime, risk-reward ratios may favour laser and surgery treatment for the patient rather than to continue to bear with poor vision from cataracts or contact lens wear. At present, cataract surgeries lower intra-ocular pressures and are the most commonly performed glaucoma surgeries.

Cataract surgeries restore clear and youthful vision with less spherical and chromatic aberrations. Visual acuity, colour and contrast perception are restored. Refractive errors and presbyopia are corrected and patients gain spectacle independence. The profundity of dementia and depression from poor vision are removed.

Both cataract and refractive surgery are safe procedures that have proven to be life-changing to many of my patients.