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Pioneering eye surgeon Arthur Lim dies at age 80

SINGAPORE ­– Medical visionary and pioneering eye surgeon Professor Arthur Lim has died at age 80.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan with Professor Arthur Lim. Photo: Dr Balakrishnan's Facebook page

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan with Professor Arthur Lim. Photo: Dr Balakrishnan's Facebook page

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SINGAPORE ­– Medical visionary and pioneering eye surgeon Professor Arthur Lim has died at age 80.

Among his various achievements, Prof Lim helped establish the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) as well as the Singapore Eye Research Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology at National University Hospital.

In the early ‘70s, he helped recruit and worked with expert surgeons from England, Australia, Japan, Korea and the United States to introduce microsurgical techniques and intraocular lens implant technology to the region.

In the ‘80s, Prof Lim sought to eradicate cataract blindness in China, and played an important role in training local specialists. He was awarded the Friendship Award in 1996 by the Chinese government – the highest award that can be bestowed on a foreign national.

To honour Prof Lim, a professorship in ophthalmology was launched in January by the SNEC and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore.

Beyond the field of healthcare, Prof Lim was also a philanthropist, artist and avid art collector.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan, who trained in ophthalmology under Prof Lim, wrote in a Facebook post today (Aug 30): “Professor Arthur Lim, a giant father figure to an entire generation of ophthalmologists has just left us. I will never be able to thank him enough for all that he gave us so generously. All the institutions he established, the lessons and the memories will live on. May God bless his soul always.”

Minister of State (Health) Lam Pin Min recalled first meeting Prof Lim when Dr Lam was a young resident at the SNEC in 1994.

“Prof Arthur Lim was the ‘Father’ of Ophthalmology in Singapore and had been an icon and mentor to many eye surgeons in Singapore and beyond. Undeniably one of the pioneers of modern ophthalmology and instrumental in putting Ophthalmology in Singapore in the world map,” wrote Dr Lam in a Facebook post. “He will always be remembered not just as an eminent eye surgeon, but also a philanthropist - having helped inculcate in many young doctors the values of compassion and care for the less privileged. He will be fondly missed by all, whose lives have been touched in one way or another.”

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