Dr. Yap Tiong Peng
PhD (UNSW Sydney) DIC (London) MSc (Imperial) BSc (Hons) Optom (UMIST Manchester) FAAO (USA) FACBO (Australia) FCOVD (USA)
[Awarded the David and Diane Goss Fellowship by the American Academy of Optometry Foundation]
Dr Yap is a senior consultant at IGARD (Singapore). He is best known locally for his work in Visual Neurodevelopment and Vision Therapy. Qualified since 1998, he holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, in Children Vision Development and Amblyopia (lazy eyes). He also hold a Master of Science (MSc) degree from University of London (Imperial College) and a UMIST Honours degree from the University of Manchester, UK. He was awarded the Diploma of Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (DIC, London) and the Clinical Fellowship Diploma of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO). He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists (FACBO) and the American College of Optometrists in Vision Development (FCOVD). He has received numerous awards, including the 2020 David and Diane Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF), 2020 Science Communication Training Fellowship of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), 2018 and 2019 ARVO Publications Grant and the 2019 AAOF Research Travel Fellowship. In 2018, Dr Yap’s research on amblyopia was selected as a hot topic by the ARVO scientific committee and his scientific paper on meridional anisotropies was selected by the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) as “new and important in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus for 2019”.
Dr Yap has a special interest on the impact of vision in academic performance. He is a scientific reviewer on this topic for the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Optometry. He has frequently lectured on “Dyslexia and Vision” and has published several articles in relation to this topic. In 2010-11, he was appointed to sit on the expert committee on vision therapy that was initiated by the Singapore Health Ministry. He was previously the Key Opinion Leader at Alcon Inc. USA and a Research Fellow in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science at Alexandra Hospital. In terms of academia, Dr Yap was formerly a lecturer at the University of Manchester, Singapore Polytechnic and the National University of Malaysia. He is often invited to speak at regional conferences (e.g. ASEAN Optometric Conference, 2014; Malaysian Conjoint Ophthalmology Conference, 2016; Indian Optometric Association, 2018; International Conference in Sports Sciences, 2011). His previous scientific papers includes topics on Children’s Normal Vision Development (Published on Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2019; ARVO Poster, Honolulu, 2018), Myopia Control – Atropine and Orthokeratology (COVD Annual Meeting, 2018), Astigmatic and Anisometropic Amblyopia (COVD, 2015; ISCEV meeting, 2016, 2018, 2019; Documenta Ophthalmologica), binocular summation in children with amblyopia (ARVO Poster, Seattle, 2013), Visual Floaters (Published on American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2011), Tropicamide in Mydriasis (Asian Journal of Ophthalmology, 2006) and its effect on race and diabetes (Journal of Clinical and Experimental Optometry, Australia, 2010).
Besides work, Dr Yap actively contributes to the community through voluntary activities. In 2016, he was part of a team of four local optometrists and other volunteers from the Lions Club to conduct eye checks and dispense prescription glasses in the rural villages in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He has also worked on a house building project in Indonesia and numerous community vision screening projects locally.
Recent Scientific Papers and Abstracts
Rachel Kelly
BSc(Hons) Optom Glasgow, MSc London, MCOptom London
Rachel Kelly has been in Singapore for five years and she has actively contributed to the local optometry industry. She has been sharing her wealth of clinical knowledge and experience through a range of continuing education courses (e.g. the OOB-accredited course in Pediatric Optometry that was co-organized by IGARD Group and International Eye Cataract Retina Centre). That course has proved so popular that it has already been run twice in the same year.
As a Senior Consultant Optometrist, she pioneered the use of orthokeratology refractive therapy for myopia control at IGARD Group Singapore. She has volunteered actively in numerous community vision screening projects such as the World Sight Day and social outreach vision screening programmes for the less fortunate children. On many occasions, she has written to The Straits Times to raise awareness of optometry in this country. She and her co-author, Yap Tiong Peng, has even raised red flags over the potential ill-effects of smartphone to the eyes and the excessive use of artificial 3D technology at home.
Originally from Ireland, Rachel completed her Optometry training in Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. and further clinical training at City University, London, U.K. She holds a BSc(Hons) degree in Optometry, a Master degree in Clinical Optometry with distinction, a Diploma in Sports Vision and a professional membership (by examination) with the British College of Optometrists. She has many years of clinical experience in ocular diagnostics and therapeutics in London. She has previously worked at Moorfields Eye Hospital and has been the President of the North London Association of Optometrists and was the local optometric committee representative to the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K.
Evelyne Saysana
BOptom UNSW Australia, MOptom UNSW Australia
Evelyne Saysana is a Senior Consultant Optometrist at IGARD Group. She holds a Bachelor and Master degree in Optometry from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
She completed her further training in Behavioural Optometry in Sydney, Australia, and she has substantial experience with children and continues to work part-time with the ophthalmology department at the KK Children and Women Hospital in Singapore.
At IGARD, she sees children and adult for vision therapy and neuro-optometric vision rehabilitation. In 2010-11, she was appointed to sit on the expert committee on vision therapy that was initiated by the Singapore Health Ministry. Evelyne is an Australian and Singapore Permanent Resident.
Isobelle Wong
BSc(Hons) Optom Glasgow
Isobelle Wong is a Senior Consultant Optometrist at IGARD Group. Following her qualification in the U.K., Isobelle spent many years of her professional career in both Singapore and Malaysia. She completed the full four years of optometry training in Glasgow, Scotland, U.K., and she is amongst the first globally to be cross trained in special educational needs and vision therapy.