Meet Our Specialist

Dr Cordelia Chan

Dr. Chan is currently practising with a group of colleagues at Eye Surgeons @ Novena, a renowned multi-subspecialty ophthalmology practice in Singapore.

Dr. Chan commenced her ophthalmology training in 1993 and spent 21 years of her career in the public healthcare sector at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), where she was the Head of the Refractive Surgery Service and Senior Consultant of the Cornea and External Eye Disease Services. After moving to the private healthcare sector, she continued offering her expertise to SNEC as a Visiting Senior Consultant for seven years, where she proctored and trained young ophthalmologists in their various stages of learning.

Her years of expertise makes her one of the most experienced ophthalmologists in Cornea and Refractive Surgery in the region, and she is one of the earliest to have performed bladeless LASIK, Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) and lamellar corneal transplantation in Singapore. Dr. Chan is renowned internationally for her work with the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) and Asia-Pacific Academy of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (APACRS).

Her main areas of specialization include Cataract Surgery, Refractive Surgery (including LASIK and Implantable Contact Lenses), Presbyopia correction, Corneal Infections, Keratoconus, Corneal Transplantation, Dry eye, Myopia and Allergic Eye Disease in both adults and children.

Training and
Education

Dr Chan graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1991. She obtained her Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1996, and in the same year, obtained the Master of Medicine (Ophthalmology) degree from the NUS. She was accepted as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore in 1999 and obtained her Specialist Accreditation in Ophthalmology that year. In 1998, Dr Chan completed her Fellowship in Cornea, External Eye Disease and Refractive Surgery.

Awards
and Accolades

Dr Chan has won numerous awards in her career. As a medical student at NUS, Dr Chan was awarded the Oliveiro Memorial Gold Medal in Biochemistry in 1988 and the Medical Alumni Association Bronze Medal in 1989.

During her fellowship year subspecializing in Cornea and External Eye Disease and Refractive Surgery in 1998 at the Singapore National Eye Centre, she was conferred the SNEC Young Researcher Award, for her work on blood flow patterns in pterygium.

In 2012, at the ASCRS Symposium in Chicago, USA, she was awarded the Best of Paper Session for her research comparing LASIK and ReLEx SMILE for myopia and myopic astigmatism.

Awards and Accolades
Awards and Accolades

For two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014, she was presented the SingHealth Outstanding Faculty Award for her continued efforts in the teaching of Ophthalmology Residents in Singapore and was voted by the young doctors to be one of their best teachers.

In April 2014, Dr Chan was conferred the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Distinguished Service Award, for her contributions to clinical service and the advancement of ophthalmic care in the Asia-Pacific region.

Teaching

Over the years, Dr. Chan has mentored, proctored and trained both local and international ophthalmologists in cataract surgery, LASIK, cornea transplantation, pterygium surgery, ReLEx SMILE, Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) insertion and other surgical procedures. Many of these doctors are now Consultant Ophthalmologists in both public and private healthcare institutions in Singapore.

Dr. Chan continues to conduct teaching courses for ophthalmologists in local, regional and international conferences and has been invited to speak on many occasions in international meetings in Europe, the USA, and Asia. These conferences include meetings of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS), Asia-Pacific Academy of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (APACRS), Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), Asia Cornea Society (ACS) and the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC).

Research

Dr. Chan’s clinical and research interests are in LASIK, refractive lenticule extraction (ReLEx SMILE), advanced surface ablations, pterygium, cornea infections, adult and childhood allergic eye disease, keratoconus, cornea topography, dry eye and cornea transplantation.

Dr Chan is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Refractive Surgery Case Reports and is a regular Reviewer of articles in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Cornea, the Singapore Medical Journal, and Annals Academy of Medicine, Singapore. She was Peer Reviewer, Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Intervention Cochrane Protocol in 2012 for work on pterygium surgery.

She has published and co-authored numerous articles in high quality peer-reviewed international journals, including Ophthalmology, British Journal of Ophthalmology, Cornea, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science and Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and written book chapters on Cornea & External Eye Disease.

Dr Chan works closely with the ophthalmic industry in the research and development of new medical treatments, lasers, lenses and other surgical devices in the field of cataract and refractive surgery.