Shorter wait times for eye surgery as SNEC opens third operating theatre in Sengkang

SINGAPORE – The Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) opened a new operating theatre at its Sengkang eye clinic in early May, enabling more patients to receive treatment in the heartland. 

This will be the third operating theatre at SNEC’s branch at Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), where patients can undergo procedures such as cataract surgery.

According to SNEC, its eye clinic at SKH receives close to 30,000 patient visits each year. In 2025, more than 3,000 eye operations were carried out at its two operating theatres.

The addition of a new operating theatre could raise the figure to 5,000 a year, said senior consultant Woo Jyh Haur, who heads the SNEC eye clinic at SKH.

The eye clinic at SKH now supports nearly 30 faculty surgeons performing operations across its three operating theatres, added Woo, who is from SNEC’s corneal and external eye disease department. 

He said the additional operating theatre at SKH will give patients faster access to care and shorten waiting times for surgery.

Patients who do not live near SKH but have been seen at SNEC’s main centre at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in Outram and other affiliated clinics may also choose to undergo cataract surgery at SKH.

“We aim to make surgical care and processes across sites as seamless as possible so that patients can undergo surgery at SKH and continue their usual follow-up care at SNEC’s other locations,” Woo said.

Meanwhile, patients who require specialised care that is available only at the main centre, such as corneal transplants, will continue their follow-up there, he added. 

SNEC said it has expanded its network of eye clinics over the years to make eye care more accessible and convenient for residents in central and eastern Singapore.

SNEC’s main centre is in SGH, and it has clinics and operating theatres across Singapore, including in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Changi General Hospital, SKH and Bedok.

SNEC said it aims to ensure everyone has access to cost-effective eye care services in a timely manner, especially seniors who are affected by age-related eye diseases.

But Woo noted that some patients still prefer to visit SNEC’s main centre because they are unaware of the services available at SKH or hold misconceptions about the scope and quality of care provided.

“They may assume that more comprehensive or higher-quality care can be found only at the SNEC main centre, but we draw from the same pool of specialists here, and the operating facilities at SKH are equipped to the same standard for routine eye procedures as the main centre,” he said.

In 2024, SNEC’s clinic in Sengkang served around 4,000 new patients living in the area. Meanwhile, its main clinic in Outram received about 5,000 new patients living in the vicinity of SKH.

“This suggests that there is a significant opportunity for more patients to access care closer to home,” Woo said.

One such patient who chose to have her cataract surgery done at SNEC’s eye clinic in SKH was Yishun resident Lim Beng Hong. The 61-year-old had initially visited the main centre with her daughter Eileen See, 34, as they were both unaware that there was a closer location. 

They opted for SKH after learning that Lim’s surgeon, Woo, could also perform the surgery there, said See, who lives in Sengkang.

After the first appointment with Woo on Jan 2, Lim had cataract surgery done on both of her eyes less than a month later, on Jan 27 and Feb 9. “My mother was quite happy. In less than an hour, we were out of the clinic. They were quite efficient,” See said.

“If we knew Sengkang had an SNEC eye clinic, we would have gone there from the start,” she added. “It would have been a lot more convenient.”