Affordable Eye Health Check at Ngee Ann Poly

"Your regular eye exam: the least expensive 

and most impactful investment in wellness." 

I read this quote online and I told myself no way it's cheap. Everything now is expensive especially in the field of medicine/health. But I guess I was wrong. You just have to know where to look for good deals or know someone who knows where these good deals are.

In relation to my recent eye "upgrade", a fellow parent volunteer and friend recommended Ngee Ann Optometry Centre where she and her family went for eye health check. The selling point of the recommendation was the very affordable price of $5. Yes, you read it right. Five Singapore dollars! Too good to be true? Well, it is.

For just $5 you can get the following: 

• Thorough eye examination (eg. assessing eye power and eye health)
• Eye coordination and colour vision
• Glasses and contact lenses prescription

I got the details from my friend and immediately set an appointment for me and my husband. The two kids just recently had their eyes checked and were already prescribed with new pairs of glasses so I planned to make an appointment for them sometime before the year ends. 

So we went to our appointment over the weekend. We took a train then transferred to a bus to get to Ngee Ann Poly. It took us almost an hour but it was all worth the trip for the money we saved on the eye check fees.

We arrived at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Optometry Centre (NPOC) about 15mins before our appointment time. We registered based on our appointment schedule and were attended to shortly.

I was called in first and my husband was called to another room. I didn't know what to expect but I was told by my friend that she had her eyes checked very thoroughly. The ones assisting are Optometry students. Mine was quite thorough. She had the eye check up check list on her mind and asked me the mandatory questions one by one and recorded my responses. Then I was informed that the whole process will take about 1.5 hours, as advised during appointment confirmation. I wondered what would be done in 1.5 hours.

We started with the Eye Chart to see up to which row I could read without glasses. Not much problem there as I am far-sighted. Next, my eye was covered, alternately, and I was asked to wear the glasses where the student placed different lens powers to see which ones would make my eye sight clearer. That went on for a good 30 minutes or so. Then she left to get her adviser to verify what she just did. Then the adviser did the same thing and made some notes on the paper. 

Next, the front and back of my eyes were checked. That sounded weird to me when I was told about the next procedure. A tool was used which flashed light on my eyes, one after the other. Then the adviser was called again to verify.

Next, my eye pressure was checked. The student brought me to the hallway where another gadget was used. It blew air on my eyes in order to check eye pressure. Then we went back to the room for other eye health checks.

Before I was released, the adviser came in for the last time to tell me about the result of my eye check. Aside from the fact that I did need to wear glasses for reading, my eyes were perfectly healthy. No immediate concerns to be worried about. She said wearing reading glasses is a sign of ageing. I guess I have to embrace that. Anyway, my new glasses proved to be very useful specially when I am reading for a long time or using the computer in the office or when I am coloring.

The adviser also informed me that Kelvin's eyes were checked, for FREE! I guess since the two of them were just waiting outside, it was an opportunity for the other students to practice what they have been studying in the classrooms.

The good thing about this eye check up is that even though the ones attending to us are students and are not yet certified optometrists (they are on the way there), their advisers always step in to verify their findings. That means we get the services of an expert in the field at a very affordable rate! And we get to help those who are going to be future licensed optometrists to apply what they have learned over the years. It's a win-win situation.

If you are interested to visit Ngee Ann Polytechnic Optometry Centre (NPOC) for the long-delayed eye health check, here are the details:

• To register for an appointment, click here. Or you can call 64607716.
• Opening hours (only during Teaching Weeks) Mondays to Saturdays, 9am to 6pm, except on Thursdays, 9am to 4pm. Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.
• Address: Block 6, Ngee Ann Polytechnic Optometry Centre.
• From Clementi MRT Station, bus stop 17179, take bus 52, 154 or 184. Alight at Ngee Ann Poly, 9 stops away. The NPOC is just a few minutes walk from the bus stop.

photo taken from Ngee Ann Polytechnic website