Tel (65) 6516 4976
Email ephssm@nus.edu.sg

• NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Joint)
• Wallace Foulds Professor, Eye ACP, Duke-NUS Medical School (Primary)
• Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (Joint)

• Epidemiology of chronic diseases, especially eye diseases
• Epidemiology and Genetics of myopia

Professor Saw has conducted several large-scale epidemiologic studies as PI, including the 20-year Singapore Cohort Of the Risk factors for Myopia (SCORM) of 1,979 children, the STARS myopia study of 3,009 pre-school children, the 10-year GUSTO Myopia study of 900 children and the 6-year Xiamen myopia cohort of 600 children.

Professor Saw has developed new gadgets including a fitness tracker for myopia prevention and a novel contact lens to slow myopia progression. Her research has translated into formulating preventive strategies with huge public health significance.

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics

• MBBS (1988), National University of Singapore
• MPH (1995), Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, USA
• PhD (1998), Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, USA
• FAMS (2001)
• FARVO (2012)

• Power List: The Top 100 Women in Ophthalmology. The Ophthalmologist (2021)
• The Asian Scientist Top 100 list (2020)
• 2019 Bernard Gilmartin OPO Award, College of Optometry, UK (2019)
• SERI Professor in Ophthalmology Research (2019)
• President’s Science Award, PSA (TEAM) (2019)
• Academy of Asia-Pacific Professors of Ophthalmology (2019)
• Outstanding Researcher Award, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore (2017)
• Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Award, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) (2016)
• Achievement Award, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) (2015)
• NUHS-MochtarRiady Pinnacle Excellence Award (2015)
• Gold Fellow Award, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) (2015)
• Bernard Gilmartin OPO Award, College of Optometry, United Kingdom (2014)
• Annals Gold Publication Award, Annals Academy of Medicine (Singapore) (2014)
• World’s Top 100 influential people in Ophthalmology by the Ophthalmologists (2014)
• Chew Sek Jin Memorial Lecture Award, International Myopia Conference (2013)
• Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) (2009)
• Faculty Researcher Excellence Award, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (2009)
• Great Women of our Times Award, Science and Technology Category, Singapore (2006)
• Garland W. Clay Award (2006)
• Edward Clarence Dyason Universitis 21 Award (2005)
• Geshin Mohn ARVO Travel Grant (2002)
• Jeans Coombs Award Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health (1998)

• Medical Officer (1989 to 1994)
• Teaching Fellow (1997 to 1999)
• Assistant Professor (1999 to 2002)
• Associate Professor (2003 onwards)
• Professor (2010 onwards)

• She is the Deputy Co-Chair (Medical) of the NUS Institutional Review Board, Co-Chair of the National Medical Research Council Transition Award Grant Review Panel and Co-Chair of the Central Tenure Track Mentoring and Review Committees, Duke-NUS Medical School.
• Vice-Dean (Research) (July 2009 to 2013)
• Director, National University Medical Institutes (July 2009 to June 2010)
• Assistant Dean (Graduate Studies) (July 2006 to June 2009)

• Head, Myopia Unit, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)
• Adjunct Investigator, Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences (SICS)
• Joint Appointment, Duke-NUS GMS

• Morgan IG, Ohno-Matsui K, Saw SM. Myopia. Lancet. 2012; 379(9827):1739-48. (IF: 28.6)
• Saw SM, Hong CY, Chia KS, Stone RA, Tan Dd. Nearwork and myopia in young children Lancet 2001; 357:390 (IF: 33.6) (Citation Index: 43)
• Chong YS, Liang Y, Gazzard G, Stone RA, Saw SM. Association between breastfeeding and likelihood of myopia in children. Journal of the American Medical Association2005; 293:3001-2 (IF:25.5) (Citation Index:16)
• Khor WB, Aung T, Saw SM, Wong TY, Tambyah PA, Tan AL, Beuerman R, Tan DTH. An outbreak of Fusarium keratitis associated with contact lens wear in Singapore. Journal of the American Medical Association 2006; 295 (24): 2867-2873. (IF:23.2) (Citation Index:96)
• Verhoeven VJ, Hysi PG, Wojciechowski R, Fan Q, Guggenheim JA, Höhn R, MacGregor S, Hewitt AW, Nag A, Cheng CY, Yonova-Doing E, Zhou X, Ikram MK, Buitendijk GH, McMahon G, Kemp JP, Pourcain BS, Simpson CL, Mäkelä KM, Lehtimäki T, Kähönen M, Paterson AD, Hosseini SM, Wong HS, Xu L, Jonas JB, Pärssinen O, Wedenoja J, Yip SP, Ho DW, Pang CP, Chen LJ, Burdon KP, Craig JE, Klein BE, Klein R, Haller T, Metspalu A, Khor CC, Tai ES, Aung T, Vithana E, Tay WT, Barathi VA; Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia (CREAM), Chen P, Li R, Liao J, Zheng Y, Ong RT, Döring A; Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) Research Group, Evans DM, Timpson NJ, Verkerk AJ, Meitinger T, Raitakari O, Hawthorne F, Spector TD, Karssen LC, Pirastu M, Murgia F, Ang W; Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 (WTCCC2), Mishra A, Montgomery GW, Pennell CE, Cumberland PM, Cotlarciuc I, Mitchell P, Wang JJ, Schache M, Janmahasathian S, Igo RP Jr, Lass JH, Chew E, Iyengar SK; Fuchs’ Genetics Multi-Center Study Group, Gorgels TG, Rudan I, Hayward C, Wright AF, Polasek O, Vatavuk Z, Wilson JF, Fleck B, Zeller T, Mirshahi A, Müller C, Uitterlinden AG, Rivadeneira F, Vingerling JR, Hofman A, Oostra BA, Amin N, Bergen AA, Teo YY, Rahi JS, Vitart V, Williams C, Baird PN, Wong TY, Oexle K, Pfeiffer N, Mackey DA, Young TL, van Duijn CM, Saw SM*, Bailey-Wilson JE, Stambolian D, Klaver CC, Hammond CJ. Genome-wide meta-analyses of multiancestry cohorts identify multiple new susceptibility loci for refractive error and myopia. Nat Genet. 2013 Mar;45(3):314-8. (*Joint Last author)

• Episode 3: Faces, The Compass – ‘Changing Worlds, Changing Bodies’, BBC World Service, 29 May 2019
• 儿童适合戴 隐形眼镜吗？, Lianhe Zaobao, 25 December 2018
• Myopia in kids: Contact lenses for children as young as eight are now available, CNA Lifestyle, 22 November 2018
• Are screens bad for my child’s eyes?, BBC World Service – CrowdScience, 23 April 2018
• 我国小学生青年近视率没再上升, Lianhe Zaobao, 15 August 2017
• Young children with myopia get it worse later in life: Study. TODAY Online, 6 October 2016
• Myopia at young age carries risk later. The Straits Times, 7 October 2016
• Study may help doctors detect insidious form of glaucoma earlier. Channel NewsAsia, 10 February 2016
• New way to look after children’s eyes. The Straits Times, 3 December 2015
• New smartwatch could prevent myopia in kids. My Paper, 3 December 2015, Thursday.
• Go outdoors for better eyesight. The Sunday Times, 7 June 2015, Sunday.
• The simple solution to Asia’s myopic epidemic. cnn.com, 6 April 2015, Monday.
• 户外活动有助延缓孩童患近视。(Outdoor activities can help prevent myopia in children) Lianhe Zaobao, 18 November 2014, Tuesday.
• Three ‘visionary’ S’pore Docs. The Straits Times, 2 May 2014, Friday
• Retinal imaging may help assess pregnancy outcomes. Channel NewsAsia, 5 Dec 2013, Thursday.
• NUS researchers design free app for early detection of colour blindness. The Straits Times, 5 October 2013
• “抓蝴蝶”轻松为幼童测色盲。 Lianhe Zaobao, 5 October 2013
• A faster way to detect eye disease, The Straits Times, 9 October 2012
• Genes associated with high myopia in Asians found, NUS Newshub, 4 September 2012
• Researchers shed light on high myopia, The Sunday Times, 29 July 2012
• Myopia in East Asia at epidemic levels, The New Paper, 20 May 2012
• Myopia in kids: Spend more time outdoors, The Straits Times, 5 May 2012