Half-hour op took away a decade of pain

Half-hour op took away a decade of pain
By Priya Suri
Jun 29, 2008
Mind Your Body, The Straits Times

Mr Liew Siew Kien, 65, has been a lorry driver for more than 30 years. Although his job exposes him to the harsh light of the sun, he has never seen the need to get a pair of sunglasses.

This is what his doctor said probably caused him to develop the eye condition pterygium - a growth of tissue on the eye surface.

"It started around 1990. My left eye was often red, almost bloodshot. It felt like there was something in my eye, although I didn't really know what it was," Mr Liew said.

Despite the discomfort, he waited 12 years before finally seeing a specialist.

"For the first few years, I occasionally went to see my GP. He kept referring me to a specialist but I took my time to go," he said.

"My vision wasn't affected that much and I didn't think it was that serious, so I didn't bother to see a specialist."

But that changed when he began to feel more pain, especially after waking up in the morning. He decided it was time to get it examined properly.

Mr Liew visited a specialist at Excellence Eye & Lasik Centre in 2002. The doctor prescribed artificial tears and steroid eye drops which Mr Liew said improved the situation.

However, these eye drops only served to reduce inflammation and discomfort.

Although he was told surgery could remove the growth, he opted not to go ahead with the operation as he was feeling better.

But his old symptoms returned and a month ago, he consulted Dr Steve Seah, a senior consultant at Excellence Eye & Lasik Centre. Dr Seah urged him to get the growth removed before it covered his whole cornea.

"My doctor told me that the growth was covering almost half my pupil - no wonder I was feeling strange," Mr Liew said.

He decided to have the operation, which was performed under local anaesthesia less than two weeks ago. The surgery and consultation cost him $3,000.

"They took only half an hour to do the operation and I didn't even have to stay overnight at the hospital," he said.

He was able to resume his driving duties after resting at home for a week.

"I don't know why I waited so long to have the operation. Thankfully, the problem isn't bothering me anymore," he said.

According to the National University Hospital website, recurrent rates for pterygium after surgery are about 10 per cent.

Additional reporting by Becky Lo

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on June 25, 2008.