EYE doctors here are among the best in the world when it comes
to Lasik surgery to correct short-sightedness.
Their success and safety records beat several international
centres, including some in the United States, said a paper from the
Health Ministry (MOH).
The head of Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Lasik Centre, Dr Lee Hung
Ming, said: 'The results are excellent by any world
standard.'
US regulators require surgeons to perform 'safe' operations - with
zero problems such as glares and haloes - in at least 97 per cent
of patients.
Of the more than 10,000 Lasik operations done by the four centres
here that took part in the study, more than 99.2 per cent had no
complications, not even minor ones.
Only patients with mild to moderate myopia were included in the
study.
The ministry found that the success rate was also better than in
the US where, after Lasik, between 96 and 100 per cent of patients
had vision that no longer required spectacles.
Here, the success rate ranged from 98.8 at the National University
Hospital, which did only 262 Lasik operations last year, to 100 per
cent at both TTSH (2,284 operations) and the private sector's Jerry
Tan Eye Surgery (665 operations).
The fourth was the Singapore National Eye Centre, the biggest
player with 18 doctors doing more than 7,000 Lasik treatments last
year. It achieved 6/12 spectacle-free vision in more than 99 per
cent of cases.
The best performer was Dr Jerry Tan. None of his patients last year
had problems or needed glasses after their surgery. Dr Tan was also
the best scorer when the comparison of results for cataract
operations were released in March this year.
In the US, more than 85 per cent of patients attained perfect
vision after Lasik surgery, but such data was not captured
here.
Participation in the study was voluntary but Health Minister Khaw
Boon Wan has said it will be compulsory to provide such data from
next year. The four centres cover the vast majority of Lasik
surgeries done here.
Lasik is a popular way to correct short-sightedness or myopia. The
top layer of the eye is cut and folded back so the cornea can be
reshaped to give better eyesight. After surgery, the flap is
replaced. No stitches are needed.
The flap can be cut with a knife, which is the standard and cheaper
way, or with a laser. Dr Lee said the future of Lasik lies with
laser or bladeless surgery as it gives straight clean cuts which
practically removes any risk of complications when the flap is
replaced.
Wavefront guidance may be used with either method. This involves
evaluation of the patient's eyesight through the use of light waves
before surgery and ensures greater accuracy.
The cost of Lasik for one eye ranges from $1,275 to $2,230 when a
knife is used without wavefront guidance, to $1,970 to $3,400 for
wavefront-guided laser surgery.
There is no subsidy for the treatment, nor can Medisave be used, as
it is considered cosmetic rather than medically necessary.
Before 2004, when a price war resulted in a $1,000 drop in prices,
many Singaporeans headed to Malaysia or Thailand for the treatment.
The cost of Lasik in those countries is about $1,200 an eye.
But Dr Lee said his gut feeling is that this trend has petered out
as prices fell here following the release of bill sizes by the
ministry.
'The difference in price now does not justify travelling there for
surgery and follow-up checks,' he said.
Surveys like this, indicating the high quality of medical care
here, may help Singapore pull in the a million foreign patients a
year it is targeting by 2012.
But Mr Khaw said last week that such data is 'good not just for
foreign patients, but for our own patients too'.
Lasik is the second procedure to be compared this way. The first
was cataract surgery.
(Straits Times, 22 Dec)
