The Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) opened a third operating theatre at its eye clinic within Sengkang General Hospital in early May 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The new facility aims to shorten surgery waiting times and provide faster access to care at the Sengkang site [1, 2, 3].
Currently, the Sengkang eye clinic serves close to 30,000 patients annually and performed more than 3,000 eye surgeries in 2025 using two operating theatres [1, 2, 3]. With the addition of the third theatre, SNEC expects the clinic to handle up to 5,000 surgeries yearly [1, 2, 3]. Nearly 30 faculty surgeons perform operations across the three theatres at Sengkang [1, 2, 3].
Patients who first see doctors at SNEC’s main centre at Singapore General Hospital or other clinics may now opt to have their cataract surgeries at the Sengkang clinic for more convenient access [1, 2, 3]. SNEC senior consultant Woo Jyh Haur said, "We aim to make surgical care and processes across sites as seamless as possible, so that such patients can undergo surgery at SKH and continue their usual follow-up care at SNEC’s other locations" [1].
While some patients still prefer the main centre due to lack of awareness or misconceptions about the Sengkang clinic’s quality and scope of care, the Sengkang site draws from the same pool of specialists and is equipped with comparable operating facilities [1, 2, 3]. Woo added, "They may assume that more comprehensive or higher quality care can only be found at the SNEC main centre, but we draw from the same pool of specialists here, and the operating facilities at SKH are equipped to ..." [3].
SNEC has expanded its eye clinics and operating theatres at multiple locations including KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital, and Bedok [1, 2, 3]. Patients requiring specialised procedures such as corneal transplants will continue their follow-up care at the main centre at SGH [1, 2, 3].
