Dr Charmaine Chai is a Senior Consultant in the Department of Ophthalmology at the National University Hospital (NUH), where she also serves as Director of Clinical Services. She also sees patients at the Eye Surgery Centre, Alexandra Hospital.
Dr Chai graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS), achieving the distinction of winning the Gold Medal and Book Prize in Ophthalmology. She obtained her Master of Medicine in Ophthalmology in 2014 and completed her residency training at NUH. She subsequently pursued fellowship training in Cornea and External Diseases and is accredited to perform various types of corneal transplants locally. Her clinical expertise encompasses Corneal and External Diseases as well as Cataract and Laser Refractive Surgery. As an experienced cataract surgeon, she performs a comprehensive range of cataract surgeries, including femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, and is proficient in the use of various types of intraocular lenses available. She also performs a range of laser refractive surgery, including SMILE, LASIK and surface ablation treatments.
Driven by her passion in advancing patient care, Dr Chai actively contributes to both clinical research and medical innovation. She holds a patent for the development of a novel device for the management of compliance to eye drop medications. Her scholarly contributions include several publications and book chapters in the field, and she has presented her work at international conferences.
Having benefitted from excellent mentorship throughout her career, Dr Chai is passionate about educating the next generation of medical professionals. She is actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, mentoring medical students and specialists-in-training. She serves as a member of the Core Faculty of the NUHS Residency Programme and holds clinical tutor positions at both NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Nanyang Technological University Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.
She previously served as the Patient Safety Officer for the Department for several years before taking on her current role as Director of Clinical Services. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the advancement of clinical ophthalmology, Dr Chai received the Meritorious Service Award at the Eye and Vision Health Awards Singapore 2024.
2024 - Meritorious Service Award at the Eye and Vision Health Awards Singapore
