Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery replaces the cloudy lens with an artificial lens. Dr Chin discusses lens options based on the health of each eye, astigmatism and your day-to-day visual needs.
Read about cataract surgeryOphthalmologist · Cataract & Vitreoretinal Surgeon
Caring for Your Eyes
Because Life Is Worth Seeing
Specialist cataract and retinal care,
from diagnosis through recovery
Dr Jacob Chin takes time to understand your concerns, explain your condition and treatment options clearly, and plan care around the health of your eyes and your day-to-day needs.
Dr Chin Yu Hang Jacob
MBBS (S’pore) · MMed (Ophth) · FAMS (Ophth) · FRCOphth (UK)
Eye Surgeons @ Novena
Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre
About the Doctor
Dr Jacob Chin
Dr Jacob Chin is a fellowship trained ophthalmologist at Eye Surgeons @ Novena whose practice covers cataract surgery and the medical and surgical treatment of retinal disease. Dr Chin graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2010 and completed specialist training in ophthalmology in Singapore, obtaining the MMed (Ophth) in 2016 and the FAMS (Ophthalmology) in 2018, followed by the FRCOphth (UK) in 2019. He is vitreoretinal fellowship trained both locally in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and overseas in Yokohama City University Hospital.
Patients with sudden changes in vision are seen early, and urgent cases such as suspected retinal detachment are prioritised on the same day whenever possible.
Qualifications
- MBBS (NUS, Singapore), 2010
- MMed (Ophth) (NUS, Singapore), 2016
- FAMS (Ophthalmology) (Academy of Medicine, Singapore), 2018
- FRCOphth (Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK), 2019
Your Care
Understanding your care, from planning to recovery
Before treatment
Before you decide on treatment, Dr Chin explains the findings, your options and how each option may affect your vision and recovery. The discussion includes your day-to-day needs and any limits to the improvement treatment may offer.
After surgery
After surgery, follow-up visits review how your eye is healing and any changes you have noticed. Dr Chin explains your progress and what to expect next.
Ongoing care
For retinal conditions that need ongoing care, Dr Chin explains what is being monitored and when further treatment may be needed.
Conditions & Treatments
Help with your eye condition
Explore cataract and retinal care, or arrange an assessment if you are unsure what is causing a change in your vision.
Retinal Detachment & Tears
Assessment and treatment of retinal tears and detachment. Depending on the findings, treatment may involve laser or surgery. Sudden flashes, new floaters or a shadow across your vision need prompt assessment.
Read about this conditionDiabetic Eye Disease
Screening and treatment for diabetes-related changes at the back of the eye. Depending on the findings, care may include monitoring, injections or laser treatment.
Read about this conditionAge-Related Macular Degeneration
Monitoring and treatment for age-related macular degeneration. Retinal scans help guide care, including injections for wet AMD when needed.
Read about this conditionRetinal Vein Occlusion
Assessment and treatment of a blocked retinal vein, including monitoring and treatment for swelling at the back of the eye.
Read about this conditionMacular Hole, Epiretinal Membrane & Vitreomacular Traction
Assessment of conditions affecting the macula, the part of the retina responsible for central vision. Where surgery is advised, Dr Chin explains the procedure, any positioning needed afterwards and what to expect during recovery.
Read about this conditionFloaters & Flashes
Assessment of flashes and floaters, including an examination with dilating drops to check for retinal tears.
Read about this conditionDislocated / Subluxed Lens
Assessment and surgery for a natural lens or lens implant that has moved out of position. Cataract and retinal surgical techniques may be combined where needed.
Read about this conditionComprehensive Eye Examination
Dilated examination for new patients and anyone referred with an unexplained change in vision, with referral where another subspecialty is better placed to help.
Read about the eye examinationYour First Visit
What to expect
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Registration and history
Bring your identification, referral letter if you have one, and a list of current medications. We will ask about your symptoms and general health.
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Vision tests and dilation
Checks of your vision, glasses prescription and eye pressure, followed by dilating drops, which take 20–30 minutes to take effect.
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Imaging and examination
Retinal scans or photographs where needed, followed by an examination by Dr Chin and an explanation of what the findings mean for your vision.
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Plan and estimate
If treatment is advised, you will receive the options, what each involves, and a written fee estimate before anything is scheduled.
Insurance & Payment
Insurance plans and healthcare panels
Medisave and MediShield Life
Approved surgical procedures, including cataract surgery and many retinal procedures, are Medisave-claimable within MOH limits. Our staff will help you check what applies to your case before treatment.
Insurance, corporate and managed-care panels
We accept patients under the insurance plans and third-party administrator panels listed above, and assist with pre-authorisation and claims where applicable. Bring your policy details, member card or corporate benefits card, and we will advise on coverage and any expected out-of-pocket amount before proceeding.
If you do not fall on our panels, please be assured that you are still welcome for assessment; and we will assist with the claims process for you.
Location & Hours
Visiting the clinic
Address
Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre
38 Irrawaddy Road #09-28, Singapore 329563
Getting Here
Short walk from Novena MRT (NS20). Carpark and drop-off at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre.
Wheelchair-accessible clinic and restrooms.
Clinic Hours
- Monday
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- Tuesday
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- Wednesday
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- Thursday
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- Friday
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- Saturday
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- Sunday & PH
- Closed
Appointments
Request an appointment
Send an enquiry and our clinic staff will contact you to confirm a time. For sudden changes in vision or acute symptoms, please call instead.
These symptoms need same-day assessment
Sudden flashes, new floaters or a change in vision can signal a retinal tear or detachment. Please call the clinic now rather than waiting for a callback.
Call +65 6694 0400 nowOutside clinic hours, call the 24-hour line on +65 6535 8833. You may still send this form, but a reply can take up to one business day.
FAQ
Common questions
Longstanding, stable floaters are common and usually harmless. A sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow or curtain over part of your vision may indicate a retinal tear or detachment and should be assessed promptly — call us the same day, or go to a hospital A&E with eye services if we are closed.
No referral is needed to see us as a private patient. If you plan to claim under an Integrated Shield plan, some policies have panel or pre-authorisation requirements — our staff can check this with you when you book. A referral letter from your GP or optometrist, if you have one, is helpful because it tells us what has already been found.
Vision and pressure checks first, then dilating drops, which take 20 to 30 minutes to work. Imaging such as an OCT scan is done where indicated, followed by the examination and a discussion of the findings. Allow about 90 minutes to two hours for a first visit.
Yes. Cataract surgery is performed as day surgery under local anaesthesia with light sedation, and you go home the same day with an eye shield. The procedure itself typically takes 15 to 30 minutes. You will use eye drops for a few weeks afterward and attend follow-up visits, the first usually the next day.
Fees depend on the diagnosis and the treatment needed, so we do not quote a single figure for everyone. A written, itemised fee estimate is provided before a procedure is scheduled, including what is claimable from Medisave or your Integrated Shield plan. MOH also publishes fee benchmarks for common procedures, which you are welcome to compare against.
The estimate is itemised so each component is visible before you commit: the surgeon's fee, which covers the operation together with the pre-operative review and routine post-operative visits; the anaesthesia fee — most retinal surgery is performed under local anaesthesia, with general anaesthesia available where needed at additional cost; the facility charges of the day-surgery centre or hospital; consumables used during the operation, such as intraocular gas, silicone oil or laser probes; and post-operative medications.
Four things account for most of the variation: how extensive the operation is (a limited vitrectomy differs from repair of a widespread detachment); whether procedures are combined, since cataract surgery is often performed in the same sitting as retinal surgery; the choice of tamponade, as silicone oil costs more than gas and later requires a second operation to remove; and whether an overnight stay is needed — most retinal surgery is done as day surgery.
Medisave can be used for approved surgical procedures, including cataract surgery and many retinal procedures, up to the withdrawal limits set by MOH. Consultations and outpatient investigations are generally not Medisave-claimable. We will give you a written fee estimate showing what can be claimed before you decide on treatment.
Vitrectomy surgery is claimable under MOH's table of surgical procedures (code SL801V), which covers operations such as macular hole repair, membrane peeling and retinal detachment repair, including laser and lens removal performed as part of the same surgery. Scleral buckling procedures are coded according to the procedure performed and its complexity, including SL801R and SL802R. Surgery to reposition or exchange a dislocated lens implant is also claimable. Injections into the eye for diabetic macular oedema, wet AMD or retinal vein occlusion may qualify depending on how the treatment episode is classified. The amount that can be withdrawn is capped by MOH according to each procedure's complexity grading and is revised periodically — our staff will confirm the current figures for your case and prepare the paperwork.
Usually, yes. Medisave can be applied to the claimable portion of the bill, with an Integrated Shield plan, rider or corporate policy covering the remainder subject to your policy's terms. We assist with pre-authorisation where your insurer offers it and issue the documentation needed for claims — including invoices and medical reports for international patients seeking reimbursement from overseas insurers.
Articles
Latest articles
Cataract surgery: what should I expect?
What happens before, on the day of and after cataract surgery, from the eye measurements and anaesthesia to recovery, driving and going back to work.
Retinal detachment: what are the warning signs, and how is it treated?
The warning signs of a retinal detachment, why it needs same-day care, and what the three operations used to repair it involve.
Retinal tears and laser treatment
What a retinal tear is, why it is sealed with laser, what the treatment feels like, and what to expect in the days after.