Dr Wong Yee Ling (PhD '20)

As one of the winners of the Graduate Student Research Award, I am grateful to receive this award as a recognition of my research work, and I would like to show my appreciation to my supervisor, Prof Saw Seang Mei, who has mentored and guided me throughout my PhD journey!

Thanks to Prof Saw, I was offered a scholarship under the Economic Development Board Industrial Postgraduate Programme (EDB-IPP) to concurrently pursue a PhD in Public Health and gain industrial experience as a full-time employee with Essilor International, a leading ophthalmic lenses manufacturer. In collaboration with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), our research work was focused on examining the epidemiology of pathologic myopia. My thesis provides new findings on the prevalence, incidence and progression of pathologic myopia, the associated risk factors, and impact on vision and vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) among adults in Singapore. We found that the prevalence of pathologic myopia in Singapore was one of the highest worldwide at 3.8%. Among myopic adults in Singapore, the six-year incidence and progression were at 1.2% and 17.0%, respectively. Pathologic myopia was associated with visual impairment, and severe grades of pathologic myopia were linked to vision loss, poorer visual functioning and worse VRQoL. While it was demanding to manage multiple tasks and requirements from school, SERI and Essilor throughout the past four years, the experience was fulfilling and helped me in building key skills and competencies necessary for a researcher and study manager.