SINGAPORE — He would often tell his children: “When you are 20, think about what you want to do. When you are 40, you should do things. When you are 60, you ought to be careful because that’s when you start making errors. And when you are 80, do nothing because that’s when you make great errors.”

But prominent eye surgeon Arthur Lim, who died last Saturday at the age of 80, remained dedicated to the medical profession all his life.

He was still seeing patients until eight to nine months ago when he was no longer feeling well, his eldest son Richard Lim said.

Speaking to reporters at the first day of Dr Lim’s wake yesterday, Mr Lim, 53, a venture capitalist, said his father — who has been dubbed Singapore’s “father of ophthalmology” — was of the view that as people age, they become more influential but are less in touch, and can cause great problems with their actions.

“So there is a time to pass things on,” said Mr Lim.

Dr Lim’s wake at Mount Vernon Sanctuary drew scores of visitors yesterday, among them Health Minister Gan Kim Yong and Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who trained under Dr Lim.

A pioneer in his field, Dr Lim was instrumental in recruiting and working with expert surgeons from countries such as England, Australia and Japan to introduce microsurgical techniques and intracular lens implant technology to the region.

He was also key to setting up the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), Singapore Eye Research Institute, and the Department of Ophthalmology at the National University Hospital.

In January, SNEC and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore established the Arthur Lim Professorship in Ophthalmology to honour him.

Other prominent figures who came to pay their respects yesterday included Singapore National Eye Centre Medical Director Wong Tien Yin, National University of Singapore vice-chancellor Lim Pin and author Catherine Lim. Also present were members of the Medical Alumni Association and Lions Recycle for Sight Singapore, and former patients.

The funeral hall was abuzz with visitors sharing stories of how Dr Lim touched their lives with his high medical standards and generosity.

Madam Rokhaiya, 56, a former patient of Dr Lim, recalled how his operation restored eyesight on her right eye when she was 18. Aware of her family’s financial difficulties, the surgeon had waived fees for the operation and the subsequent check-ups over the next few decades.

SNEC’s Dr Wong shared how Dr Lim insisted on video recordings of every surgery at the centre. Many surgeons found his “tough” approach stressful, but this resulted in a high quality of medical care, said Dr Wong.

Delivering a eulogy to his former mentor, Dr Balakrishnan said that Dr Lim was someone who never settled for the status quo. He could anticipate change, stay ahead of the curve and turn dreams to reality, he said.

But the real test of Dr Lim’s legacy is the relationships, lessons and institutions he left behind, said Dr Balakrishnan. “Just as Arthur gave it forward, it is our duty to carry his legacy forward. So we promise we will keep his lessons alive. We will build institutions that he started, we will continue his good work,” he said.

Dr Lim is survived by his wife and three children.