As 8days.sg talked to Elvin Ng over the phone, he said he was lying face down on a table at home while chatting. Not by choice, though.
The 45-year-old Mediacorp actor underwent an emergency eye operation on Monday (Feb 23) after experiencing sudden vision changes early that morning that worsened rapidly within hours. At noon that same day, he was at the doctor's getting it checked out, and by 6.30pm, had been wheeled in for an emergency retinal detachment/reattachment surgery on his right eye. He was hospitalised for one night and is now recovering at home.
Ng shared his experience on Instagram to raise awareness as "timing [to get it treated] is critical". He explained that the situation was urgent and required immediate surgery to prevent permanent blindness.
When 8days.sg spoke to Ng over the phone, the usually upbeat actor sounded understandably tired, or was it because he was lying face down at a table?
He has to do this due to a gas bubble inserted into his eye during surgery, and will need to stay in this position – facing down most of the time – for about two weeks, with a break allowed only every hour or so, and only to clean his eye and take his medication.
“And today is only day two," Ng told 8days.sg. "Even when I sleep, I can’t be on my back and need to face down.”
“Even when my mum wanted to give me a massage, I was worried that when she pounds my shoulder, would it cause trauma as I have stitches on my eyeballs,” he laughed.
Ng told us he was home hosting countless Chinese New Year gatherings when he first noticed a dark circular shadow at the bottom corner of his right eye.
“By about 5 to 6am, just as when I was going to sleep, I decided to use ChatGPT for the first time [to find out what it was], and it gave me a comprehensive answer, even asking if I had floaters moving around as I moved my eye,” he said.
In Ng's case, the floaters were not moving. Alarmed, he reached out to an eye doctor, who told him to go in to the clinic for a check-up.
Ng told us that despite the shadow in his eye, the patch was relatively small ("like 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock") so he was still able to drive himself to the eye clinic.
“My heart sank when I started hearing that I needed a major and urgent surgery,” shared Ng when the diagnosis was confirmed.
Although he saw the doctor at 1pm, the operation could only be scheduled to happen at 6.30pm that evening.
“Before rushing to the doctor, I ate two pieces of bak kwa and drank a bottle of coffee,” he sheepishly said, adding that he was only told at the clinic he needed to fast for six hours prior to the operation.
By evening, the shadow had reportedly spread to cover nearly half of his vision in the eye (“like a 3 o'clock to 7 o'clock, approaching the centre of my eye”).
When asked if he knew what the cause was, Ng said that he was told in most cases, it can happen due to trauma. “But for me, it is most likely due to my myopia as retinal detachment can happen with those with high myopia,” he explained.
The surgery was successful, but recovery will be slow. Ng has been placed on medical leave for at least a month.
“No gym, no soccer, no running. I also can’t take any flights. If I go on a flight, the pressure might affect the condition,” he moaned.
Elvin Ng. (Photo: Mediacorp Studio 3)
He also had to cancel several work commitments, including major commercials and filming projects.
“I feel quite sian because I have big commercials coming up. Very untimely,” he admitted.
Among the affected projects are filming commitments involving the Ministry of Home Affairs supporting his micro-drama Honour And Duty, and filming of commercials for Systema, for which he's an ambassador, and Gain City.
Ironically, Ng said this experience has him being open to using AI more in the future, something he was previously against.
“I was surprised by how comprehensive it was. Now I understand why so many people turn to it, because it talks to you like a good friend,” he said.
“Previously, I hated it because you can see who ‘ChatGPT-ed’ their Instagram captions. To me, I always ask myself, “Why would I want to sound like ChatGPT?” he quipped.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
The 45-year-old Mediacorp actor underwent an emergency eye operation on Monday (Feb 23) after experiencing sudden vision changes early that morning that worsened rapidly within hours. At noon that same day, he was at the doctor's getting it checked out, and by 6.30pm, had been wheeled in for an emergency retinal detachment/reattachment surgery on his right eye. He was hospitalised for one night and is now recovering at home.
Ng shared his experience on Instagram to raise awareness as "timing [to get it treated] is critical". He explained that the situation was urgent and required immediate surgery to prevent permanent blindness.
When 8days.sg spoke to Ng over the phone, the usually upbeat actor sounded understandably tired, or was it because he was lying face down at a table?
He has to do this due to a gas bubble inserted into his eye during surgery, and will need to stay in this position – facing down most of the time – for about two weeks, with a break allowed only every hour or so, and only to clean his eye and take his medication.
“And today is only day two," Ng told 8days.sg. "Even when I sleep, I can’t be on my back and need to face down.”
“Even when my mum wanted to give me a massage, I was worried that when she pounds my shoulder, would it cause trauma as I have stitches on my eyeballs,” he laughed.
Ng told us he was home hosting countless Chinese New Year gatherings when he first noticed a dark circular shadow at the bottom corner of his right eye.
“By about 5 to 6am, just as when I was going to sleep, I decided to use ChatGPT for the first time [to find out what it was], and it gave me a comprehensive answer, even asking if I had floaters moving around as I moved my eye,” he said.
In Ng's case, the floaters were not moving. Alarmed, he reached out to an eye doctor, who told him to go in to the clinic for a check-up.
Ng told us that despite the shadow in his eye, the patch was relatively small ("like 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock") so he was still able to drive himself to the eye clinic.
“My heart sank when I started hearing that I needed a major and urgent surgery,” shared Ng when the diagnosis was confirmed.
Although he saw the doctor at 1pm, the operation could only be scheduled to happen at 6.30pm that evening.
“Before rushing to the doctor, I ate two pieces of bak kwa and drank a bottle of coffee,” he sheepishly said, adding that he was only told at the clinic he needed to fast for six hours prior to the operation.
By evening, the shadow had reportedly spread to cover nearly half of his vision in the eye (“like a 3 o'clock to 7 o'clock, approaching the centre of my eye”).
When asked if he knew what the cause was, Ng said that he was told in most cases, it can happen due to trauma. “But for me, it is most likely due to my myopia as retinal detachment can happen with those with high myopia,” he explained.
The surgery was successful, but recovery will be slow. Ng has been placed on medical leave for at least a month.
“No gym, no soccer, no running. I also can’t take any flights. If I go on a flight, the pressure might affect the condition,” he moaned.
Elvin Ng. (Photo: Mediacorp Studio 3)
He also had to cancel several work commitments, including major commercials and filming projects.
“I feel quite sian because I have big commercials coming up. Very untimely,” he admitted.
Among the affected projects are filming commitments involving the Ministry of Home Affairs supporting his micro-drama Honour And Duty, and filming of commercials for Systema, for which he's an ambassador, and Gain City.
Ironically, Ng said this experience has him being open to using AI more in the future, something he was previously against.
“I was surprised by how comprehensive it was. Now I understand why so many people turn to it, because it talks to you like a good friend,” he said.
“Previously, I hated it because you can see who ‘ChatGPT-ed’ their Instagram captions. To me, I always ask myself, “Why would I want to sound like ChatGPT?” he quipped.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...