Fund proceeds will help in detection of infectious diseases through the eyes, as well as support telemedicine and e-training for healthcare workers.
More than a year on, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented challenge to public health, and the way we live and work. To strengthen Singapore’s defence against future health crises,
SNEC and
SERI have established The Heroes Fund.
Proceeds will be used for innovative virus detection via the eyes as well as better disease screening through advanced artificial intelligence. Studies have shown that infections from viruses such as SARS and ZIKA are detectable through human tears. In order to conduct such groundbreaking research, healthcare workers need continuous upskilling and training.
The Heroes Fund will go towards the development of e-learning programmes for healthcare workers in safe, contagion-free environments. It will provide our healthcare workforce with quality e-training and tools while introducing new models of care, such as telemedicine and virtual clinics for our patients.
The fundraising campaign ended on 30 June 2021, with our target of $1 million successfully met. Thank you to all our donors for their generous donations to support our fight against infectious diseases and to nurture future generations of ophthalmologists.
Supporting the advancement of healthcare
Designed for retina patients, a mobile app called Alleye enables the monitoring of visual distortion on a mobile
device, with digitised patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). A grant provided by The Heroes Fund supported a six-month pilot trial study to monitor retina patients whose appointments were rescheduled due to the Circuit Breaker last year and who used the Alleye app as a self-testing tool.
As self-monitoring continues to show promise in relieving clinic resources, such initiatives may be feasible beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants for other education and research purposes are in the pipeline.
Alleye is available for download on App Store and Google Play.
Find out more about VisionSave
here.
Click
here to check out other articles in SINGVISION Issue 1/2021.
