Tuesday 31 December 2013

Lunch-time lecture at TTSH

Tan Tock Seng Hospital will be holding a lunch-time lecture on holistic care for people with low vision. 

Date: 27 Jan 2014 (Monday)

Time: 11-12 pm

Venue: Tan Tock Seng Hospital Conference Room 3 (Level 1)

Lunch will be provided. 

To register, e-mail TTSH's Debbie Boey at debbie_sy_boey@ttsh.com.sg

Note that this is not an MDS event. 

Thursday 19 December 2013

First "printed" eye cells raise treatment hopes

An inkjet printer has been used to “print” cells from the eye for the first time, British scientists have said, in a striking demonstration of how technology could aid the search for a cure to blindness. The breakthrough is the first step towards using printer technology to create artificial tissue that might be used in complex retina repair procedures.


Scientists from the University of Cambridge printed two types of cells from the retina of rats. It is the latest application of bio-printing technology, which is being used by to create ever-more complex cellular structures, including organs, but this is the first time that mature central nervous system cells have been printed.

Click here to read more

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Eye-drops for kids with severe myopia

The Straits Times
Dec 18, 2013

By Salma Khalik

CHILDREN who suffer from rapidly deteriorating myopia can now turn to a new treatment offered by the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). Its low-dose atropine eye-drops, which cost less than $20 for a month’s supply, can slow down short-sightedness by as much as 60 per cent, said Professor Donald Tan, the SNEC’s medical director. “It would be fantastic if a child who would normally end up with myopia of 800 degrees is able to keep it to 400 degrees or less,” he added.

The SNEC will provide the drops to as many children here as possible. But if its paediatric clinics cannot cope with the expected high demand, Prof Tan said the centre will open more clinics.
About one in six children here suffer from severe myopia of 600 degrees of more by the time they are in their late teens. This puts them at risk of getting cataract at an early age as well as other eye problems like macular degeneration and retinal detachment.

SNEC’s five-year trial of 400 children, which began in 2006, found that the daily use of low-dose atropine showed no noticeable side effects. Instead the drops, which retard the elongation of the eyeballs which leads to myopia, proved a success in slowing down the condition. For some children, it even arrested the short-sightedness from getting any worse. 

Prof Tan’s wish is to see the drug became widely accessible, but there are regulatory hurdles to overcome. The SNEC tried to interest pharmaceutical companies to produce the eye-drop, but with no success. Prof Tan said this is because the company would need to carry out expensive trials to get regulatory approval. 

But because it is an old drug that is no longer under patent, once a company has obtained approval, others could simply produce and sell similar eye-drops. SNEC finally decided to pay a company to make the eye-drops. But until large-scale trials are conducted to meet regulatory demands, these drops can be dispensed only by SNEC’s pharmacy, and all patients have to be logged.

Prof Tan hopes to be able to conduct trials that will satisfy health regulators within a few years – together with eye centres in other Asian countries facing a high incidence of myopia, such as China. When that happens, the eye- drops can then be dispensed by any doctor. Until then, SNEC will be the only place supplying these eye-drops to patients in general to prevent worsening of myopia.
About 85 per cent of teens here are myopic, with the condition generally starting when a child is five or six years old. 

Usually, the fastest deterioration occurs between the ages of seven and nine years. Prof Tan stressed that while the drops can slow the progression of myopia, they cannot cure it.

Parents can call 6227-7266 for an appointment, or e-mail appointments@snec.com.sg
Those who want subsidised treatments need a referral from a polyclinic. Parents should bring along proof of their child’s deteriorating myopia, such as the need for a new pair of spectacles every few months.

salma@sph.com.sg

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Light Darkness Light

Light Darkness Light is a documentary film that tracks the life-altering experience of a blind man or woman as they regain the ability to see. 

The film tracks a medical procedure known as an artificial retina implant, a revolutionary approach is utilizing unprecedented breakthroughs in bionics to restore sight to the blind for the first time in human history. 

Through pioneering camera techniques and intimate narrative storytelling, the film aims to provide audiences with an experiential journey through the process of losing sight and developing a new concept of vision.

Click here to watch the documentary.

Monday 11 November 2013

The Qi of Kindness

When qigong and taiji master Daniel Tan met the teacher of famous actor and wushu exponent Jet Li recently, the latter left him with some wise words. The best way for qi to flow through your body is through acts of kindness, said the shifu.


And Master Daniel did just that by sharing his expert knowledge of Qigong with Macular Degeneration Society members last Saturday. For more than an hour at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, he demonstrated how breathing techniques could help improve particular organs of our body. 




He also brought along a big team of volunteers who patiently taught nearly 30 MDS members how to coordinate breathing with stretching. Most importantly, the volunteers guided members through the deceptively simple posture of standing meditation. 



Exco member Anny Leow, who had recently hurt her back, said she felt perceptible improvement after the hour-long session and tingling sensations through her injured back. 





It was the first time MDS has organised a Qigong event and the novel exercises appropriately rounded up the year. See you in 2014! 




Monday 21 October 2013

Qigong for eyes

We are coming to the end of the year and MDS is organising a free Qigong session for members as our last event of the 2013. 

Qigong helps to boost our immunity and enhance blood circulation through deep and slow breathing. This supplies more oxygen and improves blood circulation to our meridian points and our organs and help us stay healthier. 


Master Daniel, a Qigong Shifu will be sharing and teaching the Six Sounds of Breathing Exercises and the Eight Forms of Stretching & Breathing Exercise which will benefit our health and our eyes. Click here to see his website.


Venue: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Kaizen Room 5 at Learning Centre, Tower B, Level 1. 


Date: Nov 9, 2013 (Saturday)

Time: 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Please indicate your attendance by either calling Anne (6238-7387), or sending an e-mail to alleyes@singnet.com.sg

Friday 18 October 2013

More eye drops possibilities?

Another study is experimenting with the possibility of using eye drops to treat macular degeneration. It is a far superior method compared to the discomfort and pain of injection - the current predominant way of delivery. This advantage is summed up in the first sentence of this Huffington Post article: "A drop a day might soon keep blindness away." 



In short, it is easy, convenient and likely to be cheaper compared to injections. Good news all round for patients. Click here to read this latest eye drops experiment by Tufts University in Massachusetts. 

There are previous attempts at devising an eye drop solution to treatment. Remember the shark eye drops story which we posted here in June this year? Or even this project from Texas, first reported on in 2008? 

In any case, the move away from injections to eye drops is an exciting one. Not only could it be a further form of treatment for macular degeneration, but it could also be a far more economical and comfortable one for all of us. 

Sunday 1 September 2013

When Grandma Sees A Whirlpool

It took Denise Au Eong five months to write the children's book When Grandma Sees a Whirlpool but she found it a fulfilling experience. Despite having to juggle school work and writing her maiden book, Denise (below, centre) said it was not difficult. 


She was speaking to Macular Degeneration Society members on Saturday during a special launch of the book. The children's book, which tells of a grandmother and her grandson's journey towards learning about age-related macular degeneration, is meant to educate young ones about the vision-robbing disease.



Denise, who is the daughter of MDS adviser Au Eong Kah Guan, shared that response to the book has been very positive. And she is already working on a second children's book on cataracts. 


Dr Au Eong added that When Grandma Sees a Whirlpool is meant for children between the age of 8-10. Denise has been joining her dad on community outreach programmes to build awareness of vision diseases and it was natural step for her to build on the experiences and pen a book. 


MDS also held its annual general meeting after the launch of the book. President Sharon Siddique gave a report of the year's events and members present also discussed possible events next year. Sharon paid tribute to Dr Au Eong for his continued guidance and support. 


Dr Au Eong and Denise have donated many copies of the book to MDS to help us raise funds. All members who have paid their dues for 2012-2013 get a copy free. 


Tuesday 27 August 2013

Reminder: AGM this Sat

To all MDS members, please remember that we are having our Annual General Meeting this Saturday. And in conjunction with our meeting, we will also be having a special launch of a children's book on age-related macular degeneration. 

See our earlier post for all the details. 

Look forward to seeing you on Saturday! 

Sunday 25 August 2013

Revolutionary lens implants

More reports of how implanted lens can help improve the vision of dry AMD patients. This new IOL-Revolution lenses have been introduced in the United Kingdom and seem to be making strong progress. 

Read this report to find out more how it has helped someone like Jeffrey Howell, 68 (below), a retired general manager of an engineering company.


This new lens should be an improvement of the previous IOL-VIP lens we posted on this blog five years ago. Read our previous report from 2008. 

Thursday 8 August 2013

Notice for 2013 Annual General Meeting

Dear MDS members,

Our 2013 MDS AGM will be held on Saturday afternoon, 31 August 2013 from 2.30pm to 4pm. 

At 2.30pm we will have a special launch of Denise Au Eong’s recently published book, When Grandma Sees a Whirlpool. The story is about a young boy who accompanies his mother and grandma on a visit to an ophthalmologist, where Grandma is diagnosed with AMD. Denise will tell us how she came to write the book, and be on hand to autograph copies.

Denise is the daughter of our MDS advisor, Dr Au Eong Kah Guan, who has generously given each MDS member a copy of the book, which you can collect at the AGM. If you are a lapsed member, come and pay up your $10 for 2013 membership. You will still come out ahead, as the book sells for $12!

AGENDA OF THE 6th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

Date: Saturday, 31st August 2013

Time: 2.30pm – 4pm

Venue: All For Eyes, Tanglin Shopping Centre, #05-23


2.30pm – Welcome by MDS Secretary, Peh Shing Huei

2.35pm – Discussion with Denise Au Eong, followed by tea break

3.15pm – MDS AGM 

Annual Report 2012/2013 

Financial Report 2012/2013

Overview of MDS online: website, blog and facebook

Discussion of future activities 2013/2014


Please indicate your attendance by either calling Anne (6238-7387), or sending an e-mail to alleyes@singnet.com.sg.

We hope to see you on the 31st of August!

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Visually-impaired iPhone app

How about an iPhone app which allows the visually impaired to identify objects they encounter in their daily lives? Now you can have it with TapTapSee. Simply double tap the screen to take a photo of anything and hear the app speak the identification back to you.

Click on this link to find out more. 

Watch this video to learn how it works. 


Seeing-Aid Device from Israel

An interesting gadget from Israel could soon take the world by storm. A startup from the Middle Eastern country has come up with a gizmo which can help the visually handicapped "see". 


It is a gadget which is attached to a pair of glasses. The device can tell you what is in front of you, read aloud a book and even identify your family and friends. 

And it is only as expensive as a hearing aid. 

Check out this exciting story from Bloomberg. 


Thursday 4 July 2013

Japan's OK world's first stem cell trial

Japan has given the green light to the world's first clinical trial using stem cells harvested from a patient's own body. 


The cells used in this instance are the "induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells" - or "adult cells". Until the discovery of iPS cells several years ago, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.

This is controversial because it requires the destruction of the embryo, a process to which religious conservatives, among others, object.

iPS cells do not come with such baggage. (Read our report on Dr Mandeep Singh's talk to MDS last year to find out more about how iPS cells work)


Japan's new trial treatment will try to create retinal cells that can be transplanted into the eyes of patients suffering from AMD, replacing the damaged part of the eye. It will start with six patients, all who suffer from AMD. Cells will be taken from their skin. 

Click here to read more about this groundbreaking development. 

Monday 24 June 2013

Shark eye drops to treat MD?

As unbelievable as it may sound, scientists have found that sharks could help to treat macular degeneration. Yes, sharks! 


Experts have been keen to find out why sharks rarely develop illnesses. They found that sharks have squalamine, a compound produced by sharks to stop them getting infections. 

Squalamine is extracted from the liver of sharks and can prevent the abnormal growth of blood vessels. It reduces the growth of unwanted blood vessels by a third. 

Now, scientists have synthesised squalamine into a chemical and made eye drops out of it. Trials are underway in US. 

Read this Daily Mail article and this Medical Daily story for more. Check out this video by Ohr Phamaceutical, manufacturer of this new eye drop, too! 


Tuesday 11 June 2013

Keep myopia at bay

A sign spotted at West Coast Park, Singapore. Sound advice! 

Monday 3 June 2013

From blind to sighted

An experimental stem-cell treatment has restored the sight of a man blinded by the degeneration of his retinal cells. His vision went from 20/400 to 20/40! It is good enough to get a driver's license! 

Click here to read more.

Tuesday 21 May 2013

MDS supports AMD Week

By Sharon Siddique
MDS President

MDS was again a partner with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in contributing to the success of the annual AMD Awareness Week (19 to 24 May 2013). The launch was held on Sunday, 19 May, from 9am to 1pm. From 11am to 1pm, and in cooperation with hospital staff, MDS hosted a number of Patient Support Group Talks. These included several presentations on this year’s theme of “Eat Right Save Sight”, the highlight being the ever popular cooking demonstration.



Other topics included counseling patients with macular degeneration, introduction to the Guide Dogs Association of the Blind, and a dialogue session with a representative of the AMD Alliance International from London.

Exco members were on hand to recruit new members. MDS adviser, Dr Au Eong Kah Guan has generously donated copies of Denise Au Eong’s recently-published book, “When Grandma Sees a Whirlpool”. He has generously offered each PAID UP MDS member a FREE copy of the book, while additional copies are available for sale at $12 at All For Eyes (Tanglin Shopping Centre 05-23). All proceeds of the book sales will be donated to MDS Singapore.

Wednesday 8 May 2013

When Grandma Sees a Whirlpool


Book Review


By Sharon Siddique 
President, MDS Singapore 

May 2013 

When Grandma Sees a Whirlpool by Denise Au Eong, is a newly published children’s book about AMD (age-related macular degeneration) written from a unique perspective. The narrator is a young boy who accompanies his mother and grandma on a visit to an ophthalmologist (eye doctor). 



Grandmas are special people. From them we learn about life, and living, and also about the natural process of ageing. Grandmas slow down, have trouble running and remembering. They complain about aches and pains. To a child, even a spritely 50-year-old grandma is “old”. 


One of the most difficult illnesses of old age to explain is deteriorating eyesight. There are often no outward signs of failing vision. Eyes “look” normal. So children can be oblivious of grandma’s eyesight problems. 

And this non-communication is often compounded by grandma’s unwillingness to seek help. Older people often tend to resign themselves to such conditions. They accept that many infirmities are inevitable, and stoically sit rather than actively intervene. 

The author is to be congratulated for promoting the magical ingredient of inter-generational communication – grandma, mother, and Julian band together to tackle grandma’s “whirlpool”. This book is a must-read for all children who love their grandmas because it not only informs about AMD, but also reinforces the importance of cultivating loving relationships. Love, trust, concern, reassurance, are all provided in abundant supply. 

The last section of the book is a great bonus. Well-known ophthalmologist, Dr Au Eong Kah Guan presents a clear and informative introduction to AMD for adults. 

The book is well-illustrated and designed, making it a very professional read indeed. The illustrator, Eliz Ong, has created an extremely attractive and colourful child-friendly layout, and Spring Publishers have excelled in the technical aspects of editing and printing. 

As AMD is a life sentence, Dr Au Eong also profiles two organisations which can extend support to AMD patients and caregivers. Information on the AMD Alliance International can be found on its website: www.amdalliance.org

Closer to home, the Macular Degeneration Society (MDS) Singapore can be approached through its website,  this blog and on Facebook. 



Dr Au Eong has kindly donated 200 copies of this book to MDS. All members will be given a free copy during our events. The book is also available for sale at $12 at our events and at All For Eyes (Tanglin Shopping Centre #05-23).



Monday 29 April 2013

AMD Awareness Week 2013

The annual AMD Awareness Week is back and will be held earlier than usual this year. Instead of the September date which has been the case in past years, the event will be in May this year. There will be educational talks on AMD, quizzes, cooking demonstrations and eye screenings.

Date: May 19, 2013 (Sun) 
Time: 9am to 12pm 
Venue: Learning Centre, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital 

Please click on the below link to view the activities lined up!

Monday 8 April 2013

Cholesterol drugs may save sight

Researchers in the United States have found that eye drops designed to lower cholesterol may have an added use: help fight age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research found that macular degeneration shares the same problem as the hardening of arteries. Both are unable to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol.

Those who suffer from a hardening of arteries, or atherosclerosis, are usually prescribed medication to lower cholesterol and clear the arteries. Now, by testing on mice and human cells, scientists have discovered that these drugs may be able to prevent AMD. 

By delivering the drugs in the form of eye drops, it can be used directly into the eyes and minimise the chances of side effects through oral administration, say doctors. 

The research is still in its early form, but offers an interesting option to increase ways to treat AMD. Click here and here to read more about this development. 

Thursday 28 March 2013

Dench rocks despite AMD

March 26, 2013

By Belinda Goldsmith

LONDON (Reuters) - Actress Judi Dench may be battling deteriorating eyesight and a failing memory but the veteran performer showed no sign of faltering when she teamed up with fellow James Bond star Ben Whishaw on a London stage on March 25.


Dench, 78, one of Britain's most-respected actresses, has tackled a list of stage and film roles over her career, at ease with Shakespeare as in Hollywood, playing M in seven Bond movies before bowing out of 007's life in last year's "Skyfall".

It emerged a year ago that Dench was suffering from macular degeneration, the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 60, and she relied on friends to read scripts to her. This month she told a television interview she took fish oil tablets daily to boost her memory and remember her lines but said she had no intention of slowing down or stopping acting.

Dench won nothing but praise on Tuesday for joining 32-year-old Whishaw, the gadget guy Q in James Bond, in a new play, "Peter and Alice", by American playwright John Logan who co-wrote "Skyfall".

"(Dench) lends to Alice her brilliance at combining a sense of tart, witty combativeness with a reverberant depth of bruised humanity," wrote critic Paul Taylor in the Independent although he was less enamored with the play, giving it three stars out of five.

"Dench is unmatchable," raved the Times critic Libby Purves, giving the play that "breaks your heart open" five stars.


Logan's play imagines a real-life meeting between an elderly Alice Liddell Hargreaves and 30-something Peter Llewellyn Davies at a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932, the people who inspired Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan".

As the two start talking and look back to their childhoods, the gaps start to emerge between the fantasies of the stories they inspired and the harsh reality they faced as adults, confronting loss, death, illness and alcoholism.

The 90-minute play, painfully moving, was described as a tenderly sketched portrait of life's challenges.

TRAGEDY

"No one expresses that pain and resilience quite as acutely yet stoically as Judi Dench, and she is ideally partnered by the more depressively hang-dog presence of Ben Whishaw for a beautiful study in contrasts of how they deal with life's blows," wrote critic Mark Shenton in the Stage.

The true story of the five Davies brothers, whom Barrie befriended, is tragic. The eldest, George, died in the trenches of World War I, while Michael, the second youngest, committed suicide aged 20, and Peter, the middle child, killed himself by throwing himself in front of a London train in 1960 aged 63.

The case of Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell) is almost as sad. She lost two of her three sons in World War I and ended up broke after her husband's death, selling off the original 1864 "Alice" manuscript to raise cash. She died in 1934.

"One of Judi Dench's great strengths, seen in countless Shakespearean heroines such as Viola and Beatrice, is her ability to combine ecstasy and melancholy, witnessed in abundance here," wrote the Guardian's critic Michael Billington, giving the play four stars.

"Peter and Alice", running at London's Noel Coward theatre until June 1, is Logan's first new play since "Red" which opened in London in 2009 and went on to win six Tony awards, Broadway's highest honors, in 2010.

Click here to read reports last year which first revealed Judi Dench's AMD.

Friday 22 March 2013

Disability: A social issue to be treated with care

This is a commentary on the Scoot-Thomas Chan incident. Scroll down the blog to read Mr Chan's original complaint against Scoot airlines and also the company's response. 

March 15, 2013
The Straits Times

By Andy Ho 
Senior Writer

A WRITER to The Straits Times Forum Page revealed recently how budget airline Scoot barred him from a Dec19 flight because he is visually handicapped.

Travelling on his own, Mr Thomas Chan, 34, had a return ticket to Sydney, but was barred from the flight because he did not have “an accompanying guest”. Although an unrelated traveller was willing to put in writing that he would be Mr Chan’s carer for the journey, Scoot still stopped him from flying.

And all this came just after Singapore signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Nov 30 last year. This international treaty, with 155 signatory nations of which 129 have ratified it, is a platform for fostering national-level changes to disability law and policy.



Once Parliament ratifies it, it will be incorporated as domestic law whereupon international civil rights for the disabled will be transposed to Singapore.

So the treaty creates human rights obligations for the disabled at the international level that are given effect at the domestic level. When implemented as law here, it should lead to deeper domestic internalisation of these human rights for the disabled, for the law can change mental structures.

In particular, the convention is rooted in a model of disability that sees it as a social problem rather than a medical one.

Think about it: If there are only stairs to the workplace, those in wheelchairs have no independent access to it. If there are no tactile tiles in MRT stations, the blind can’t self-navigate. So the disabled suffer impairments because of environments created without their needs in mind.

This means that a disability is not so much a physical problem lodged within the individual than one which primarily arises from the environment being built in ways that reflect social attitudes and norms that are unresponsive to the needs of the disabled.

But most able-bodied people think about the disabled as being saddled with biological deficits, so what they need is medical attention and some public aid. For most of us, the “problem” is located in the disabled person as a biological shortcoming of his.

So we try to fix him instead of adapting society to his abilities. But we build the environment for the average (able-bodied) person, in effect building barriers against those who are not like that average. If, however, the built environment were adapted for the whole range of human abilities, the disabled would suffer fewer or even few functional limitations.

If we re-imagined disability as a problem located at the interface between the individual and his environment, if we grasped how the built environment unfairly helps the able-bodied while disadvantaging the disabled, we may begin to see how society is morally obliged to remedy the environment for the disabled as a matter of civil rights, not special privileges.

But as a society we don’t quite perceive disability rights to be civil rights yet. The proof lies in our not yet having a law requiring all public and private organisations to redesign physical barriers like doorways, entry ways, lavatories and the like or modify their informational structures so the blind, deaf or dyslexic, say, can have equal access.

Happily, the rights the convention will introduce once it is incorporated as national law may compel society to re-examine its policies and processes that hamper the disabled daily.

Some may decry this “rights” talk but if we don’t engage in it, our society will continue to regard the disabled mainly as incapacitated individuals. If disability were just a biological flaw, any request to modify the environment would be conceived as a demand for special rights. And any remedy “offered” by “us” would be charity.

However, if we were to re-imagine their impairments to be not so much a lack of ability but something normally found within the whole gamut of human abilities, then the problem may be seen to reside in how our environment is built with no regard for them.

A law that construes disability rights as civil rights should encourage citizens to see disabilities as being less biological and more social in nature, and the disadvantages which the disabled face not as naturally but socially caused.

The treaty requires the signatory state to “designate one or more focal points” to implement it domestically and have the implementation monitored by an independent body that includes disabled individuals and their representative organisations “participating fully in the monitoring”.

It also requires the signatory state to include the disabled in its law-making process. However, aggrieved Singaporeans like Mr Chan would still have no individual recourse to the highest avenue under the treaty unless Singapore also accedes to the Optional Protocol, a side agreement among signatory states to permit the convention’s Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, comprising 18 human rights experts, to consider complaints from individuals. The Optional Protocol has 91 signatories, 76 of which have ratified it. Singapore has not signed it but should do so immediately and ratify it as well.

Wherever and whenever the disabled continue to be hampered by physical and informational barriers in their daily lives, it can only mean that their society is maladapted to human variation. The treaty signals global recognition of this fact – and ours too.

When it becomes domestic law, Singapore must implement it not woodenly as just technical standards to check off but as a map to transform our society into one where the disabled have equal dignity and equal worth.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Scoot doesn't discriminate against any passenger

The below is a response from Scoot to the earlier letter from Mr Thomas Chan. Scroll down to read Mr Chan's original letter. Scoot's response is also published in The Straits Times' Forum pages. 


WE THANK Mr Thomas Nathan Chan Kim Yong for his feedback ("Airlines shouldn't discriminate against travellers with disabilities"; Tuesday). As per our conditions of carriage, Scoot will not allow a person who requires special assistance to travel without an accompanying guest, unless the person can travel safely without assistance or supervision.



As a low-cost airline, we do not have the systems, staff or facilities required to assume responsibility for such assistance. This is clearly outlined in the terms and conditions that must be accepted in order to purchase a ticket, and via the "special needs" link on our website home page, which also states that incapacitated persons, those with an illness or other people requiring special assistance should contact us at least three days before the scheduled departure. If we are not notified, it may not be possible to obtain third-party services at short notice.

Though we note Mr Chan's claim that his friend had called to inform us that he was a blind person travelling on his own, we have been unable to locate the telephone call from our recorded archive, nor was there a note in the booking to indicate that the request had been made. 

We had substantial correspondence with Mr Chan on this matter and, from the beginning, committed to give a full refund should the investigation reveal that we had made a mistake. As no evidence could be found that Mr Chan had informed us beforehand, or had an accompanying passenger in his booking, we offered to refund only the taxes we had collected on behalf of the airport and the government authorities.

We do not discriminate against any passenger. All passengers, including those with disabilities, are subject to and must agree to the same terms and conditions. To prevent such cases in future, we have highlighted the relevant clauses via links on our website home page and in the booking path itself, in addition to the final confirmation of acceptance at the point of purchase.

See Ling Ling (Ms)
Assistant Manager,
Marketing & Communications
Scoot

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Airlines shouldn't discriminate against travellers with disabilities

This is a letter written by Mr Thomas Chan Kim Yong, published in The Straits Times' Forum pages on Feb 19. 

I AM visually handicapped and travel quite frequently on my own as my family is in Australia. I bought a return air ticket to Sydney via the website of budget carrier Scoot on Oct 1 last year.


On Oct 4, my friend called Scoot to inform the airline that I was a blind person who was travelling on his own. The airline's agent said everything was noted in the system.

But on the day of departure on Dec 19, I was told by the check-in counter staff that there was no record that I had requested special assistance. I was not allowed to board the plane, even though I told the staff I needed to spend Christmas with my family.

A passenger who was taking the same flight offered to help me board the plane. He was willing to sign an agreement to state that he would be fully in charge of me throughout the journey. However, the duty manager refused to allow me to fly with him as he was not related to me.

She gave me two choices - either I find someone related to me to fly with me, or abandon my travel plans and Scoot would give me a refund. I was forced to buy another ticket from Singapore Airlines the next day to fly to Sydney on my own.

In the end, Scoot was willing to refund me only about $140. Just because I am visually handicapped does not mean I cannot take care of myself.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Sharing on new year hopes

By Peh Shing Huei
MDS Secretary

The Macular Degeneration Society kicked off its events for 2013 with an intimate sharing session last Saturday on members' wishes and hopes in the new year. Among the ideas exchanged were the events which members hope MDS can organise in 2013 and beyond. 

Sharing sessions should be a regular feature because it is in line with the objectives of the MDS, set up in 2007 to facilitate like-minded patients of macular degeneration share about their experiences and offer mutual support. Hence, a suggestion was mooted to have an event where our members would form a panel - a panel of "expert patients", if you would. Each expert patient can share on a particular slice of treatment for macular degeneration. 

For example, one could talk about the experiences of going through Lucentis treatment. Another can discuss about trying Avastin. Others can also share experiences of traditional Chinese medicine etc. It can be an event which MDS organise later this year or in early 2014. 





In addition, members also expressed a keen interest to find out more about the latest research, especially in stem cells. MDS organised a well-received stem cells talk last year by Dr Mandeep Singh and will aim to have more updates on this exciting and ground-breaking field. Click here to read our report from Dr Singh's talk in 2012.

Last, a member who was not able to attend the meeting said through e-mail that she hoped that we can have another session to teach members on eccentric viewing. We had a good event on that in 2011. Click here to read about it. But it will certainly be useful to bring it back, by popular demand! 

Wednesday 13 March 2013

More help for the blind

The Straits Times
March 13, 2013

By Melody Zaccheus

Struck down by glaucoma early last year, Ms Patricia Chua, 30, holed herself up at home for six months after being left with just 10 per cent of her sight."I made visits to hospital only for medical check-ups in a wheelchair and was not confident enough to venture further," said the ex-administrative executive.





Six months later, after participating in a pilot version of the Home Care programme by the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped, she is now able to walk with the help of a cane, do basic chores and buy food from a nearby hawker centre.


Later this month the $180,000-a-year programme will be launched officially and reach more visually impaired individuals, said the association's executive director Mr Michael Tan. A team of six specialists, including social workers and occupational therapists, will serve around 30 clients every year.

Said Mr Tan: "More adults are losing their sight and end up having to learn everything all over again from basic activities like making coffee to taking a shower. This programme thus brings help and a support network to their doorstep through regular household visits."

The association has 3,300 registered clients. President Tony Tan, who toured the facility's grounds on Monday, commended the 62-year- old association. He said: "The visually impaired among us can lead independent lives if we help them build up the confidence and gain the skills to do so."

Dr Tan, who will be guest of honour at the association's charity banquet on March 26, also encouraged other voluntary welfare organisations to similarly enhance their services to address the emerging needs of Singapore's ageing population.

Saturday 2 March 2013

First bionic eye approved

The United States government has approved a bionic eye for the first time to help blind people. It is meant for those with retinitis pigmentosa, but could also be used to treat those with macular degeneration in future. 

Electrical stimulation is sent to the retina to induce vision. Some of the early patients testing the device said they could distinguish boundaries between objects and differentiate light from dark.

Some could read large letters, while for others, being able to match sock colors and detect street curbs were more important for helping them to live more independently.

There are other projects to come up with a bionic eye but this is the first one which has been officially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Read here for a 2010 report on our blog on another bionic eye project.

Click here and here to read more about this device, which is called Argus II. 

Sunday 24 February 2013

Sharing Session on New Year Resolutions

Dear MDS members, 

What do you hope to achieve in the new year? How do you plan to better improve your ability to cope with macular degeneration? Let's come together in our next sharing session on New Year's resolutions! 

We hope to share two ideas during this meeting among like-minded patients. 

1) What is the one thing you hope to do better this year as you continue to adapt to the challenges brought by macular degeneration? Exercise more? Eat more greens and fruits? Pick up a new activity like yoga or qigong? Or master the art of eccentric viewing? 

2) What do you hope to see organised by the MDS in 2013? 

Date: March 16, 2013 (Sat)

Time: 2pm – 4pm

Venue: #05-23, All For Eyes, Tanglin Shopping Centre, 19 Tanglin Road,Spore 247909

Drop us an email at alleyes@singnet.com.sg, or call Anne at 6238-7387 to register now!