June is Cataract Awareness Month in Singapore, and cataract specialist Dr Allan Fong of Angel Eye & Cataract Centre has the same question for almost every patient who walks through his door: when did you last have your eyes properly checked? Not an optician visit to update a glasses prescription — a comprehensive eye examination that looks at the lens itself. For most Singaporeans, the honest answer is: not recently enough. Cataracts are the leading cause of treatable blindness worldwide, and yet the patients Dr Fong sees most often are those who waited five years or more before seeking assessment. They adapted. They compensated. They told themselves it was just ageing. By the time they arrived, the cataract was more advanced than it needed to be.
This article is written for the Singaporean who has been meaning to get their eyes checked and has not yet done it — and for the son or daughter who suspects something is wrong with a parent and does not know how to raise it. In it, Dr Fong answers the questions that most patients are too polite or too worried to ask out loud: what does a cataract actually look like from the inside, when is surgery genuinely necessary, and what does the procedure feel like? His answers are plain, direct, and drawn from over 25 years of performing cataract surgery in Singapore.
If you have been putting off an eye examination, or if someone you love has been doing the same, this is worth reading — and worth forwarding. Read on for the full picture.
Dr Allan Fong has been performing cataract surgery in Singapore for over 25 years. In that time, he has noticed a pattern that no amount of clinical experience makes easier to witness.
“The patients I worry about most are not the ones who are afraid of surgery,” he says. “They are the ones who waited five years before walking through my door. By the time they come in, they have stopped driving at night. They have stopped reading for pleasure. They have handed over the household finances to a family member because they cannot see the statements clearly. They think this is just what getting older means. It is not.”
Every week, Dr Fong sees patients in their sixties and seventies who have quietly adjusted their lives around a cataract that could have been treated in under thirty minutes. Some arrive because a family member insisted. Some arrive after a fall. Some arrive because they can no longer recognise faces across a table.
What strikes him most is the relief on people’s faces when he explains what a cataract is. Not permanent vision loss. A clouded lens — and a clouded lens can be replaced. For patients who believed their vision was simply declining beyond help, that explanation changes everything.
June is Cataract Awareness Month. Dr Fong agreed to answer, plainly and directly, the questions his patients most often wish they had asked sooner.
Here is what he wants you to know.
What Does a Cataract Specialist in Singapore Actually Do?
A cataract specialist diagnoses and surgically treats cataracts — the progressive clouding of the eye’s natural lens. In Singapore, cataract specialists are ophthalmologists with specific training in cataract surgery, including the selection and implantation of intraocular lenses suited to each patient’s vision needs and lifestyle. Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective surgical procedure in Singapore and globally. A comprehensive eye examination by a cataract specialist goes significantly beyond a standard optician visit. (Nizami, Gurnani & Gulani, StatPearls, 2024; NEI, 2023)Yes. The fine particles in haze, particularly PM2.5, settle on the surface of the eye and can irritate and inflame it. This disturbs the tear film, the thin layer that keeps the eye smooth and comfortable, causing redness, grittiness, watering, and a burning or foreign-body feeling, especially in people who already have sensitive or dry eyes. (Systematic review, 2024)
“An optician can tell you what prescription your eyes need right now,” Dr Fong explains. “What they cannot tell you is whether the lens inside your eye is starting to cloud. That requires a dilated eye examination — where we use drops to widen the pupil and examine the lens directly. Most Singaporeans have never had one.”
The distinction matters because cataracts develop slowly and the early symptoms — mild blur, increased glare, a changing prescription — are easy to attribute to ordinary ageing. A comprehensive examination catches the problem earlier, when the range of surgical options is widest and the procedure is most straightforward.
“The eye has no filter against the air the way the nose does, so haze reaches it directly,” says Dr Allan Fong of Angel Eye & Cataract Centre. For most people it is temporary irritation, but for those with dry eye or allergies it can be a real flare. A systematic review of the evidence links airborne particles to a range of ocular surface problems, driven by inflammation and oxidative stress.
How Do You Know If You Need to See a Cataract Specialist in Singapore?
See a cataract specialist in Singapore if you notice any of the following: progressive blur that a new glasses prescription does not fully resolve, increased sensitivity to glare or bright lights, difficulty with night driving, faded or yellowed colour perception, or frequent changes in prescription without a clear cause. These are the functional symptoms of a developing cataract. Research confirms that cataracts are the leading cause of vision impairment in Singapore’s ageing population, and early assessment produces better outcomes. (Khoo et al., British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022; WHO, 2023)
“People ask me: how bad does it have to get before I come in?” says Dr Fong. “Do not wait for bad. Come in when you notice something has changed. The longer you wait, the denser the cataract becomes — and a denser lens means a more technically complex procedure.”
The pattern is consistent: glare on the expressway two years ago, difficulty reading subtitles, night driving abandoned, then finally a grandchild who mentioned something seemed wrong. Each symptom is explainable on its own. Together, a clear story that a cataract examination would have identified much earlier.
For adult children reading this: if a parent has stopped doing something they used to do — driving at night, reading the newspaper, recognising faces — it is worth asking why. (See also: Your Mother Cannot See Properly. She Just Will Not Tell You.)
What to watch for
- Progressive blur that a stronger glasses prescription does not fully resolve
- Glare or halos around lights, especially when driving at night
- Colours that look faded, yellowed, or less vivid than they used to
- Reading that requires significantly more light than it did a year ago
- A glasses prescription that has changed more than twice in three years
- Any sense that your vision is less reliable than it was — even if you cannot describe exactly how
How Often Should Adults Over 50 Have Their Eyes Checked in Singapore?
Adults over 50 in Singapore should have a comprehensive eye examination — including a dilated lens assessment — at least every two years, and annually if they have risk factors such as diabetes, a family history of cataracts, or long-term steroid use. Research from the Singapore SEED Study confirms that cataract incidence rises significantly from the fifth decade onward. A standard optician visit for a glasses prescription update is not a substitute for a comprehensive eye examination. (Khoo et al., British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022)See a cataract specialist in Singapore if you notice any of the following: progressive blur that a new glasses prescription does not fully resolve, increased sensitivity to glare or bright lights, difficulty with night driving, faded or yellowed colour perception, or frequent changes in prescription without a clear cause. These are the functional symptoms of a developing cataract. Research confirms that cataracts are the leading cause of vision impairment in Singapore’s ageing population, and early assessment produces better outcomes. (Khoo et al., British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2022; WHO, 2023)
“People ask me: how bad does it have to get before I come in?” says Dr Fong. “Do not wait for bad. Come in when you notice something has changed. The longer you wait, the denser the cataract becomes — and a denser lens means a more technically complex procedure.”
The pattern is consistent: glare on the expressway two years ago, difficulty reading subtitles, night driving abandoned, then finally a grandchild who mentioned something seemed wrong. Each symptom is explainable on its own. Together, a clear story that a cataract examination would have identified much earlier.
For adult children reading this: if a parent has stopped doing something they used to do — driving at night, reading the newspaper, recognising faces — it is worth asking why. (See also: Your Mother Cannot See Properly. She Just Will Not Tell You.)
What to watch for
- Not having had a comprehensive eye examination in the past two years if you are over 50
- Not having had a dilated eye examination — where drops are used to widen the pupil — at any point
- Relying only on optician visits for glasses updates, without specialist eye health assessment
- A family history of cataracts, diabetes, or long-term steroid use — all increase risk and reduce the recommended interval between examinations
- A parent or family member who has not had their eyes checked recently and who seems to be managing around a vision problem
What Do Patients Most Often Wish They Had Asked Their Cataract Surgeon Sooner?
The question Dr Fong hears most often after cataract surgery is not about the procedure — it is about time. Patients ask why they waited so long. Research consistently confirms that quality of life improves significantly after cataract surgery, with patients reporting gains in visual function, independence, and psychological wellbeing. The regret most patients express is not about the surgery itself, but about the years spent compensating around a treatable condition. (Blachnio et al., Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2024; Hoong et al., BMC Health Services Research, 2023)
“The question I hear most often after surgery is: why did I wait so long?” says Dr Fong. “Not: was the surgery worth it? That answer is almost always yes. The question is always about the time before. The years they spent squinting, avoiding, adjusting. That part is the part I cannot give back.”
“A patient told me the morning after her procedure that she could see the individual leaves on the tree outside her window,” he says. “She had not realised she had stopped being able to see them. That is cataract surgery. It does not give you something new. It gives you back what you had.”
A consultation takes less than an hour. If a cataract is present, you will understand exactly what is happening and what your options are. If it is not, you will have peace of mind. Either way, the information is worth having.
What to watch for
- Any vision change that you have been explaining away rather than investigating
- A feeling that your eyes are not as reliable as they were — even if you cannot describe it precisely
- Tasks you have stopped doing — driving at night, reading for pleasure, recognising faces across a room
- A family member who has noticed a change in your vision before you acknowledged it yourself
- More than two years since your last comprehensive eye examination
Frequently Asked Questions About Cataract Specialists in Singapore
What does a cataract specialist in Singapore actually do?
A cataract specialist in Singapore is an ophthalmologist trained to diagnose and surgically treat cataracts. They perform comprehensive eye examinations that assess the health of the lens directly — something a standard optician visit does not do. When a cataract is confirmed, the specialist recommends appropriate treatment, which typically involves surgical removal of the clouded lens and replacement with a clear intraocular lens.
How do I know if I need to see a cataract specialist in Singapore?
See a cataract specialist if you notice progressive blur that a new glasses prescription does not resolve, increased glare or halos around lights, difficulty driving at night, or colours that appear faded or yellowed. These are common early symptoms of cataracts in Singapore. A comprehensive eye examination will confirm whether a cataract is responsible and what the appropriate next steps are.
How often should adults over 50 have their eyes checked in Singapore?
Adults over 50 in Singapore should have a comprehensive eye examination at least every two years — and annually if they have diabetes, a family history of cataracts, or long-term steroid use. A standard optician visit for a glasses prescription is not a substitute. A comprehensive examination by a cataract specialist assesses the health of the lens and other eye structures that a glasses test does not evaluate.
Dr Fong's Answer to His Own Question
When did you last have your eyes properly checked?
If the honest answer is: not recently — or not ever — now is a good time to change that. Seek a comprehensive eye examination with a cataract specialist if any of the following apply:
- You are over 50 and have not had a dilated eye examination in the past two years
- You have noticed any change in your vision that a new glasses prescription has not resolved
- You have risk factors: diabetes, family history of cataracts, or long-term steroid use
- You have stopped doing something you used to do — driving at night, reading, recognising faces — without fully investigating why
- A family member has noticed a change in your vision before you acknowledged it yourself
About Angel Eye & Cataract Centre
Angel Eye & Cataract Centre is a specialist eye clinic in Singapore focused on cataract diagnosis and surgical treatment. Dr Allan Fong has over 25 years of experience as a cataract surgeon in Singapore and sees patients across a wide range of ages and presentations — from working-age adults with early-onset cataracts to elderly patients with advanced lens clouding. The clinic provides comprehensive eye examinations, a full range of intraocular lens options, and post-surgical care tailored to each patient’s vision goals and lifestyle needs.
Consultations are available for patients who are experiencing vision changes, who have not had a comprehensive eye examination recently, or who have been told by an optician to seek specialist review.
Dr Fong’s question is a simple one. If you cannot remember the last time you had a proper eye examination, that is your answer. Contact Angel Eye & Cataract Centre to arrange a consultation with a cataract specialist in Singapore. It takes less than an hour — and it is the kind of hour that changes what the next decade looks like.
Medical References
- Nizami, A.A., Gurnani, B., & Gulani, A.C. (2024). Cataract. StatPearls. National Library of Medicine. NBK539699.
- Khoo, J.Z.Y., et al. (2022). Six-Year Incidence of and Risk Factors for Cataract Surgery in a Multi-ethnic Asian Population: The Singapore SEED Study. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 106(11), 1503-1507. DOI: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2020-318609
- Blachnio, K., Dusinska, A., Szymonik, J., et al. (2024). Quality of life after cataract surgery. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(17), 5209. DOI: 10.3390/jcm13175209
- Hoong, J.M., et al. (2023). Impact of the value driven outcomes program among cataract surgery patients in Singapore. BMC Health Services Research, 23, 486. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09427-2
- Kaur, K., & Gurnani, B. (2023). Contrast Sensitivity. StatPearls. National Library of Medicine. NBK580542.
- Prokofyeva, E., Wegener, A., & Zrenner, E. (2013). Cataract prevalence and prevention in Europe: a literature review. Acta Ophthalmologica, 91(5), 395-403. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2012.02444.x
- National University Hospital Singapore. (2022). Outcome of our care: Cataract surgery. nuh.com.sg
- National Eye Institute. (2023). Cataracts. nei.nih.gov
- World Health Organisation. (2023). Blindness and vision impairment. who.int
- Ministry of Health Singapore. (2023). Cataract. moh.gov.sg
