More than 600 Bedok residents participated in a free eye screening session on Sunday morning, in conjunction with Lions World Sight Day.

Held at Eunos Community Club at Bedok Reservoir Road, the event was jointly organised by the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and voluntary welfare organisation Singapore Lions Club.

Lions World Sight Day is an international event aimed at increasing public awareness of eye health issues through eye screening sessions.

The eye screening session comprised five stations, including an eye pressure and refraction test to pick out long and short sightedness, and a clinical eye examination station that can identify other problems such as cataract.

About 40 SNEC doctors, nurses and social workers were involved in managing the various stations.

For most of the residents, it was their first time getting a comprehensive eye screening done by nurses and doctors.

One of them was part-time retail assistant, Madam Wong Sang Liang.

The 57-year-old resident said her work schedule made it hard for her to go to a polyclinic for health tests.

"I'm only free on weekends, but that's when the polyclinics are not open. And private clinics are too pricey, so I won't go there," said Madam Wong in Mandarin.

"But this eye screening is near my house and it's free, so it is easy to just come down for a quick check," she added.