Doctor's device sheds light on surgical problem

New device illuminates operation site, doing away with shadows from surgical lights

Associate Professor Tan Ngian Chye (at left) and Dr Kevin Koh with the Klaro, a lighting device that is used for open surgery and is cooler than regular LEDs, so it does not damage any surrounding body tissue. A procedure being done with the lighting
Associate Professor Tan Ngian Chye (left) and Dr Kevin Koh with the Klaro, a lighting device that is used for open surgery and is cooler than regular LEDs, so it does not damage any surrounding body tissue. PHOTO: NATIONAL CANCER CENTRE
Associate Professor Tan Ngian Chye (at left) and Dr Kevin Koh with the Klaro, a lighting device that is used for open surgery and is cooler than regular LEDs, so it does not damage any surrounding body tissue. A procedure being done with the lighting
A procedure being done with the lighting device (above) and without it. The device was created by Vivo Surgical, in collaboration with SingHealth's Medical Technology Office, National Cancer Centre Singapore and Panasonic Lighting Europe. PHOTO: VIVO SURGICAL
Associate Professor Tan Ngian Chye (at left) and Dr Kevin Koh with the Klaro, a lighting device that is used for open surgery and is cooler than regular LEDs, so it does not damage any surrounding body tissue. A procedure being done with the lighting
A procedure being done with the lighting device and without it (above). The device was created by Vivo Surgical, in collaboration with SingHealth's Medical Technology Office, National Cancer Centre Singapore and Panasonic Lighting Europe. PHOTO: VIVO SURGICAL
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Sometimes, the best ideas come from unexpected places.

Surgeon Tan Ngian Chye was watching his two-year-old daughter play with a rubber ball that lit up when it bounced, when he had his eureka moment.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 03, 2018, with the headline Doctor's device sheds light on surgical problem. Subscribe