Cataract Surgeon and Retina Specialist
MBBS (S’pore), MMed (Ophthalmology)
MRCSEd, FRCSEd (Ophth),
FAMS (Ophthalmology)
Previous Appointments
Head of Vitreo-Retina service, *NHGEI / TTSH
Head, Eye Diagnostic Services, *NHGEI / TTSH
Head, *NHGEI Fundus Image Reading Centre
Senior Consultant, *NHGEI / TTSH
Fellow, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Fellow, Harvard Medical School & Schepens Eye Research Institute, USA
* National Healthcare Group Eye Institute / Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Dr Nikolle Tan’s Current Appointments
Visiting Consultant, National University Hospital Dept of Ophthalmology
Visiting Consultant, *NHGEI / TTSH
Adjunct Assistant Professor, *NUHS / YYLSM Department of Ophthalmology * National University Hospital, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Dr Nikolle Tan graduated from the National University of Singapore with the degree of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1997. In 2002, she obtained the degree of Master of Medicine (Ophthalmology) from the National University of Singapore and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2005. In the same year, she was also made a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore.
She was a Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist at the National Healthcare Group Eye Institute / Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she was also the Head of the Vitreo-Retina Service and Head of Eye Diagnostic Services until 2014. She currently continues to hold the position of a Visiting Consultant Ophthalmologist. In addition, she is also Visiting Consultant at the National University Hospital Department of Ophthalmology, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology.
Dr Nikolle Tan is fellowship-trained in both the Surgical and Medical Vitreo-Retina subspecialties. After completing her residency training in Singapore, she was selected from a large group of international applicants and admitted to the prestigious Vitreo-Retina fellowship programme at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Infirmary in Melbourne, Australia. In addition, she also underwent fellowship training at the Harvard Medical School & Schepens Eye Research Institute in Massachusetts, USA.
She is a recipient of numerous awards including the Gold Medal and Book Prize in Ophthalmology, as well as the Singapore Ministry of Health “Health Manpower Development Program” scholarship for subspecialty training. She has also been awarded several international and local awards in ophthalmology research including the prestigious Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmlogy / Gesine Mohn Award (USA) and the Annual Research Meeting in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Merit Award (Singapore).
Dr Nikolle Tan’s expertise covers a wide spectrum of eye conditions ranging from routine to complex disorders of the eye. Apart from standard cataracts, she is also highly experienced in treating complicated cataracts which often require a combination of sub-specialised microsurgical techniques.
Her area of special interest is in the treatment of vitreo-retinal disorders like retinal detachments, diabetic eye disease, vitreous hemorrhages and conditions that require surgical solutions. She was one of the first in Singapore to use minimally invasive small-incision sutureless vitrectomy for the treatment of these conditions.
Her area of special expertise also includes medical therapies for vitreo-retinal diseases. This involves the use of different forms of laser therapies, photodynamic therapy as well as intravitreal therapy using biologics or Ozurdex for treatment of a large range of conditions such as age-related macular degeneration & polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, diabetic eye disease, choroidal neovascularization from high myopia, and retinal vascular occlusions.
An expert in the field of both the medical and surgical Vitreo-Retina sub-specialties, Dr Tan sits on the medical advisory boards of several pharmaceutical and surgical devices companies. As key opinion leader to these companies, she advises on novel therapies, formulation of new treatment recommendations, and use of new surgical devices to improve treatment outcomes.
She has participated as a principal investigator in numerous international clinical trials for developing new treatments for Vitreo-Retinal disorders. Until 2013, she was also the Head of the National Healthcare Group Eye Institute Fundus Image Reading Centre, which specializes in imaging of complex Vitreo-Retinal disorders and their interpretation for global clinical trials.
Dr Nikolle Tan conducts lectures and teaching courses regularly in local and international meetings and has trained many junior surgeons locally and regionally.