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Dr Rachel Chong

Dr Chong Rachel

MBBS, M Med(Ophth), PhD (Cantab)

Consultant

Singapore National Eye Centre

Specialty: Glaucoma, Cataract & Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Sub-specialties: Glaucoma, Cataract & Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Conditions Treated by this Doctor:
Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma.

Clinical Appointments

  • Consultant Glaucoma Department Singapore National Eye CentreSingapore National Eye Centre
  • Consultant Cataract & Comprehensive Ophthalmology Department Singapore National Eye CentreSingapore National Eye Centre

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor SingHealth Duke-NUS Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Programme

Profile

Dr Rachel Chong is a Consultant in the Glaucoma Department at the Singapore National Eye Centre. She holds a joint appointment as Clinician-Scientist at the Genome Institute of Singapore, and is actively involved in academic research and education. She is concurrently a Clinical Lecturer at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, as well as an Assistant Professor with the Duke-NUS Medical School. 

Dr Chong was awarded the National Science Scholarship by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore in 2001 to pursue higher education from an undergraduate level up to a PhD. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford in 2004 and received her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) with Merit from the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London in 2007.  She received multiple awards for academic excellence including the Arthritis Research Campaign Prize in Rheumatology, the Heller Bursary for Arts & Humanities in Medicine, Certificate of Merit for Psychiatry, Neurology & Ophthalmology, and was ranked 6th out of 353 participants nationally in the UK at the Duke Elder Prize Exam in Ophthalmology in 2006. Dr Chong was conferred a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Cambridge in 2015 for her research on experimental glaucoma under Professor Keith Martin, and has presented her work in numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and at international meetings. She completed her specialist training in ophthalmology at the Singapore National Eye Centre, serving as Chief Resident from 2010 to 2011 and was awarded specialist accreditation by the Singapore Medical Council in 2018.

In clinical practice, Dr Chong's believes that patients should be treated in a holistic manner and have the opportunity to understand their own conditions well in order to participate in their care. She views a sound doctor-patient relationship as having equal importance as providing access to the highest quality healthcare.

Education

  • PhD (Cantab) (2015)
  • M Med(Ophth) (2011)
  • MBBS (Lond) (2007)
  • BA (Hons)(Oxon.) (2004)

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

  • Clinician-Scientist, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR)
  • Clinical Lecturer, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
  • Adjunct Research Fellow, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
  • Member, Singapore Medical Association (2007 – present)
  • Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) (2004 – present)

Awards

  • Richard Fan Gold Medal in Ophthalmology (2018)
  • Global Young Scientists Summit, Singapore Representative (2018)
  • Allergan International Glaucoma Panel Mentoring Programme, Singapore Representative (2015 – 2017)
  • Best Free Paper Award, Singapore-Malaysia Joint Ophthalmic Congress (2010)

Research Interests

  • Glaucoma pathogenesis
  • Novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for glaucoma

Publications

  1. ​Cautious interpretation of the associations between systemic hypertension, antihypertensive medications and the risk of developing glaucoma. Mohamed-Noriega J, Scott A… Chong RS et al. Journal of Hypertension. 2017;35(11):2328-9. PMID: 28953596 

  2. Inhibition of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 prevents conjunctival fibrosis in glaucoma filtration surgery. Chong RS, Lee YS, Chu S, Toh LZ, Wong T. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2017;58(9):3432-3439. PMID: 28692738

  3. A typical presentation of ocular decompression retinopathy following trabeculectomy. Chong RS, Goh D, Wong TT. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology. 2017;45(2):203-5. PMID: 27455468

  4. Platelet-derived Growth Factor preserves retinal synapses in a rat model of ocular hypertension. Chong RS, Osborne O, Conceição R, Martin KR. Invest Ophthamol Vis Sci. 2016:57:842-52. PMID: 26934142

  5. Retinal glia promote dorsal root ganglion axon regeneration. Lorber B, Chew DJ, Hauck SM, Chong RS, Fawcett JW, Martin KR. PLoS One. 2015:10(3):e0115996. PMID: 25816134

  6. Glial cell interactions in glaucoma. Chong RS, Martin, KR. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. 2015:26(2):73-7. PMID: 25490529

  7. Retinal ganglion cell dendrites and glaucoma: a case of missing the wood for the trees? Chong RS, Martin KR. Expert Review of Ophthalmology. 2014:9(3):149–1

  8. Relationship between intraocular pressure and angle configuration: an anterior segment OCT study. Chong RS, Sakata LM, Narayanaswamy AK, Ho SW, He M, Baskaran M, Wong TY, Perera SA, Aung T. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013:54(3):1650-5. PMID: 23299476

  9. Patient acceptance and attitude toward an alternative method of subconjunctival injection for the medical treatment of glaucoma. Chong RS, Su DH, Tsai A, Jiang Y, Htoon HM, Lamoureux EL, Aung T, Wong TT. J Glaucoma. 2013:22(3):190-4. PMID: 22036716

  10. Tear cytokine profile in medicated glaucoma patients: effect of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 on early post-trabeculectomy outcome. Chong RS, Jiang YZ, Boey PY, Yu SJ, Htoon HM, Aung T, Khaw PT, Wong TT. Ophthalmology. 2010 Dec;117(12):2353-8. 13. PMID: 20630596

Research Trials

  • Establishing a 3D optic cup organoid to characterise functional changes based on glaucoma genetics (2018 – ongoing)
  • Investigating the effect of blood pressure and intraocular pressure modulation on the neurovascular unit of the eye (2017 – ongoing)