PROF DONALD TAN

MBBS, FRCS(Ed), FRCS(G), FRCOphth(UK), FAMS

Professor Donald Tan is one of the global leaders in the field of cornea and refractive surgery, having contributed to over 2 decades of clinical, surgical and translational research and education in these fields. His work has led to major innovations in corneal and steem cell transplantation, refraction surgery, and in myopia treatments which he has imparted internationally as a global educator and researcher for over 15 years, having published over 220 scientific papers and contributed 17 book chapters.

Professor Tan is among the pioneers of modern pteryguim surgery and ocular surface stem cell transplantation surgery as well as artificial cornea surgery with his highly successful osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP “tooth-in-the-eye”) program in Singapore. He was among the first surgeons internationally to develop the modern techniques of lamellar keratoplasty, introducing Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK) and is a world-recognized authority, and has recently developed new techniques and devices for Endothelial Keratoplasty (EK). He currently runs various lamellar transplantation courses, workshops and performs live surgery in Asia, Europe, the US, South America and the Middle East. In addition, he runs several courses in LASIK and other forms of refractive surgery at major international meetings, including APAO, AAO and ASCRS, and was the first in Asia to introduce the AcuFocus KAMRA Implant for the treatment of presbuopia in Asia, at the Singapore National Eye Centre.

As Direction of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) from 2000-2009, Prof Tan put Singapore on the world map for research in ophthaimology when he lead SERI to the most number of scientific research publications per capita globally in 2008.

As a global educator, he has conducted more than 80 international teaching courses, and has trained over 20 international and local corneal fellows from Singapore, the UK, Netherlands, Phillipines, Mexico, Thailand, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, New Zealand and Argentina. In addition, he has been organizing corneal and refractive programs for the APAO, Asia-Pacific Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASSCRS), Cornea Society, World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) and World Cornea (WCC) for many years. He has also served on and chaired numerous international committees for ophthalmic professional organizations, including ARVO, AAO, APAO and APSCRS, as well the editorial boards of several ophthalmic journals and scientific advisory boards.

Professor Tan has won over 20 international awards. In 2001, he was awarded the APAO De Ocampo Award, and the AAO Distinguished Achievement Award in 2006. In the same year, he was awarded Singapore’s first national Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health for alerting the international community to a global outbreak of fusarium keratitis linked to a contact lens solution, which prevented thousands of contact lens users from blindness. In 2009, he was awarded Singapore’s inaugural top President’s Science Award for his contributions to corneal research, and in the same year, he was awarded the Casebeer Award by the Internation Society of Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Designations

Medical Director

Head, Cornea and External Eye Disease Service

Acting Head, Refractive Surgery Singapore National Eye Centre

Chairman, Singapore Eye Research Institute

Professional Qualifications

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Singapore

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow

Fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore

Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh

Fellow of College of Ophthalmologists, United Kingdom

Subspecialty Expertise Training

Fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Institute of Ophartalmology, London, UK

Awards

Presidents Science Award, Singapore

Casebeer Award, International Society of Refractive Surgery

American Academy of Ophthamology

Minister For Health Award: For Outstanding Performance in Public Health – Outbreak of Fusarium Keratitis

National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award, NMRC, Ministry of Health

American Academy of Ophthalmology Distinguished Achievement Award

American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) 2006 Annual Meeting Best Scientific Presentation Award for Cornea Session: Orthokeratology, Tissues, Presbyopia

American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) 2004 Annual Meeting Scientific Presentation Award for Keratoplasty Session: Autologous Conjunctival Transplantation for Pterygium and Ocular Surface Disorders.

Asia Pacific Academy of Phhthalmology, Distinguished Service Award

CLAO Fisons Young Investigators Award Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists (CLAO) Meeting, Las Vegas