Council Members
Dr. Adrian HC Koh
Name: Adrian Koh Hock ChuanPermanent Address: 14 Lim Tai See Walk, Singapore 267779
Date of Birth: 5 September 1966
IC No.: SI 1746401
Citizenship: Singapore Citizen
Marital Status: Married with four children: Alison, Lisa, Audrey and Luke
Spouse: Lim Li Ann, Mary, Paediatrician
Present Positions:
- Senior Consultant, Eye Clinic Singapura
- Co-ordinator, Retinal Service International
- Visiting Consultant, Medical Retina, Vitreoretinal Service, Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC)
- Clinical Lecturer, National University of Singapore
- Director, SNEC-SERI Visual Electrophysiology Laboratory
- Adjunct Scientist, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)
Dr Koh completed his undergraduate and postgraduate education at the National University of Singapore. He was awarded Obstetrics & Gynecology Book Prize, First Mekie Book Prize for Distinction in General Surgery, and Distinction Award in International Ophthalmology Council (IOC) Basic Science Assessment. He was recently awarded the prestigious Distinguished Service Award by the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, for meritorious service in ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region.
For his subspecialty training in Medical Retina, he was awarded three Fellowships: one year at the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC) under the supervision of Dr Ang Chong Lye; one year Fellowship by the Singapore Ministry of Health at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, under the world-renowned authority, Professor Alan C. Bird; nine months at Jules Stein Eye Institute, University California Los Angeles (UCLA) under the Professors John R Heckenlively, Bradley Straatsma, Kent Small and Steven Schwartz. In addition to the clinical sciences of macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease (including diabetic retinopathy), inherited retinal and choroidal dystrophies and posterior segment ocular tumors, he was trained in visual electrophysiology by Drs Graham E Holder (Moorfields Eye Hospital) and Steven Nusinowitz (Jules Stein Eye Institute). Other areas of expertise include fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographic interpretation and SLO autofluorescence imaging. He is a key opinion leader in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in the Asia-Pacific region. He specializes in laser photocoagulation for posterior segment disorders, and has experience with transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT).
He has presented over 50 scientific papers and posters at international and regional meetings such as Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), International Congress of Ophthalmology (ICO), Afro-Asian Congress of Ophthalmology, International Society of Clinical Electrophysiology and Vision (ISCEV), International Symposium of Ophthalmology, SNEC International Meeting, SERI-ARVO International Meeting, China Clinical Visual Physiology Symposium and Asia-Pacific Retinal Advisory Board.
He has delivered invited lectures and courses in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region including Australia, Japan, China, India, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. He was invited to the international round-table discussion on Guidelines for Photodynamic Therapy in Miami, USA (2003).
His research interests include polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, diabetic retinopathy, retinal dystrophies, visual electrophysiology and photodynamic therapy for macular degeneration. Besides scientific journal publications, he has written book chapters and edited ophthalmic as well as non-ophthalmic books. He is an editorial board member of Documenta Ophthalmologica, and reviewer for the British Journal of Ophthalmology, Documenta Ophthalmologica, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology and Singapore Medical Journal.
Dr Koh is the Congress Vice-President and Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress to be held in Singapore in 2006. He is also the current elected Secretary of the Singapore Society of Ophthalmology (SSO), Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Angiography Club and Honorary Medical Advisor of the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society of Singapore. He was Treasurer-General of the World Cataract Surgeons Society (1995-1998). He is also a member of several voluntary organizations such as the Diabetic Society of Singapore and the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped.
Dr Koh has been actively involved in training and education. He was Director of Undergraduate Curriculum in Ophthalmology at the National University of Singapore, and is heavily involved in undergraduate, postgraduate and Fellowship training. He has been Course Director for numerous teaching courses, such as FFA-ICGA Courses, Photodynamic Therapy Workshops and MRCS (Edinburgh) prepatory courses. He is an examiner for the Final exit (FRCS) examination for specialist certification.
In the area of Prevention of Blindness, there have been several main aspects of Dr Koh's contribution: the main area is in prevention of blindness from Diabetic Retinopathy. Diabetes prevalence in Singapore, as it is across the Asia-Pacific, is about 10%, among the highest in the world. As Singapore's foremost specialist in Medical Retina, he has been actively involved in the promotion and implementation of screening programs for diabetics, both in the public and private sector. He was the principal investigator in validating the effectiveness of digital fundus photography over Polaroid fundus photography in screening for diabetic retinopathy; he was involved in planning telemedical transmission of digital retinal images from various community-based locations throughout Singapore to a central reading centre (SNEC) for real-time assessment and reporting; he has been invited to several Asian countries to speak on this topic, including China, India, Malaysia and Vietnam. His participation in various international symposia on management of diabetic retinopathy and prevention of blindness strategies has allowed him to proactively impact on policies and efforts towards reducing and ultimately eliminating blindness resulting from diabetes in the future. The latest symposium, held during the Macula Meeting 2004 in Singapore, was organized by him, and included a panel comprising leading world experts such as Professors August Deutman and Ian Constable.
Dr Koh was instrumental in setting up the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society of Singapore in 2002, and is the Honorary Medical Advisor to the Society. He is an active member of Retina International, the world body of RP associations. The RP Society has helped raise awareness of this condition among the public, and increased dissemination of information to patients and their families; in addition, the RPSS is working in collaboration with various groups in raising funds for research in RP, for example, in genetic, stem cell and retinal transplantation research. All these efforts will go a long way in alleviating some of the suffering and disability that patients now have to endure.
Through Dr Koh's work in his field of expertise, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), he is now focusing on early detection of AMD, as the prevalence of this condition is likely to see a dramatic increase in the coming years. His experience with the diagnosis and treatment of this condition also allows him to share first-hand experience and insights into this difficult problem, in particular preventive strategies.
