Eye See, Do You? by Dr Abirami

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Eye See, Do You? by Dr Abirami

Primarily on Instagram as
I share bits and pieces of my daily work as an ophthalmologist
Look for me in Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh!

Dr Abirami (Eyebirami) is a warm, dedicated and highly skilled ophthalmologist at Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh, known for delivering precise, gentle and premium-quality cataract surgery with advanced lens options. She offers comprehensive, personalised eye care including vision screenings, dry eye solutions, diabetic and retinal care, glaucoma evaluation and paediatric assessments. With a kind, patient-centred approach, she takes time to listen, explain and guide each person with clarity and confidence. This ensures a truly comfortable and premium eye care experience.

04/03/2026

A perspective on surgical safety, technology, and patient outcomes.

Cataract surgery is often described as one of the safest and most successful procedures in modern medicine.
That is true when it is performed under the right conditions, with the right technology, and with the right safety protocols.

Patients look at the surgery price and equate the amount directly as a surgeon's profit. (One can only wish so! 😄)

However, when patients encounter unusually low prices for cataract surgery, an important question arises:
What exactly is being compromised to reduce the cost?

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Here are some key components that contribute to the cost of modern cataract surgery:

1. 🔬 Advanced surgical equipment
- modern system with strong safety profiles improves surgical safety and outcomes

2.🧴 Single-use sterile consumables
- designed to be used once-per-patient to maintain sterility

3. 🔪 Disposable surgical blades
- single-use, sharp -> minimizes tissue damage

4. 🏥 Accredited operating theatres
- strict sterilisation protocols, trained theatre staff, and validated infection control systems

5. 👁️ High-quality intraocular lens implants (IOLs)
- implant with stringent regulatory standards -> it will remain in your eyes for life!

6. 💊 Reliable postoperative medications
- ensure smooth recovery

7. 👨‍⚕️ A careful and experienced surgeon
- beyond technology and equipment, surgical judgment, gentle technique, and patient-centered care play a crucial role in achieving safe outcomes

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As clinicians, our goal is not simply to perform surgery. It should be aimed at ensuring that every patient receives safe, comfortable, and high-quality care from the first consultation to the final postoperative visit.

Your eyesight deserves the highest safety standards.

27/02/2026

From Mr Perak to representing Malaysia on the international stage .. and the first Malaysian Indian to win gold at the Southeast Asia Games in 1981.

Meet “Mr Muscleman” who, at 77 years strong, is disciplined as ever.

When he first came to me, his vision was counting fingers in one eye and 6/18 in the other due to cataract. Today, after surgery, he shares his experience of a pain-free and pleasant journey to clearer sight. He still actively lifts and trains others at his gym in Teluk Intan.

Strength isn’t just in muscles. It also lies in trusting the process and choosing to see the world clearly again. 💪👁
Honoured to help this legend regain his vision.

24/02/2026

Wishing all healthcare heroes a year of good health, steady hands, kind hearts, and safe days ahead.
🐎 🐴 🎠 🏇 🧧🍊🎆

CNY Office Blessing Ceremony with a touch of 🦁 dance 🕺🏻💃🏻✨️

It was lovely to have Dr Khoo Chow Huat, MD of Hospital & Healthcare Operations of SHG, come up to SMCI to toss the Yee Sang with us. 😃✨️

Happy CNY, all!

21/02/2026

Seeing is believing? 🍪

Did you see the Oreo jiggle when you moved your phone? It is a still image, not a motion pic.
So, it is not moving. It's just your eyes playing a trick on you. (or I call it "magic" haha).

The dark chocolate and bright white cream create a very strong contrast.
White reflects more light and black absorbs more light.
Hence, your eyes process these light signals slightly differently.

When you tilt your phone, tiny natural eye movements with changing light reflections make your brain think the edges are shifting.

So, your brain interprets it as MOTION. .even though the picture is completely still.

The Oreo isn't dancing. Your visual system is.
Pretty cool, right?
Fun things we learn being eye doctors. 😃👁

16/02/2026

A night of batiks & kebaya 🙂🥳

14/02/2026

It's all about the overall experience. Sharing my patient's testimony on his surgery experience. Such a natural. I guess eye know what eye am doing.
(so corny I know). 🤩😛

11/02/2026

👁️ 𝑫𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑬𝒚𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 – 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 1

We often take our vision for granted until it starts to blur, burn, strain, or fatigue.

Your eyes work continuously from the moment you wake up until you sleep. The constant brisk fast-paced movement. The consistent autofocusing of your pupil. The repetitive blinking of your eyes. Changing light signals into neuron signals for your brain to interpret who and what you are looking at. So much work for our small eyeballs.
The good news? Small daily habits can significantly reduce long-term damage and strain.

Here are practical, science-based 3 simple steps you should prioritise:

1️⃣ 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗩𝟰𝟬𝟬 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 😎

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation accelerates:
Cataract formation Macular degeneration Pterygium growth Photokeratitis (“sunburn of the cornea”)

✔ Ensure your sunglasses are labelled UV400 (blocks 100% UVA & UVB). Do not settle for 100% UV protection as they might just be UV300 (which is not optimum).

✔ Dark lenses without UV protection are harmful. They dilate your pupils and allow more UV in.

Using sunglasses is so underrated. This is not about fashion. It’s ocular protection. You can hardly see me outdoors without my sunglasses on (my friends can vouch for me!). 😜

2️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬-𝟮𝟬-𝟮𝟬 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 (𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲)

For every 20 minutes of screen time,
→ Look at something 20 feet away (that’s about 6 meters),
→ For at least 20 seconds.

Why?

When we use screens:

- Blink rate drops by up to 60%
- Tear film evaporates faster
- Eye muscles stay in prolonged contraction (accommodative spasm)

This results in headaches, blurred vision, dry eye, and even neck tension.

This simple reset relaxes your ciliary muscle (eye focusing muscle) and restores tear stability.

3️⃣ 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆

Fun fact: The skin on your eyelid is the thinnest in your entire body. It is only 1mm thick! Imagine how delicate it is. That is why you need to guard it with care.

Eyelid hygiene reduces:

- Blepharitis (inflammatory dandruff-like crust on eyelashes)
- Meibomian gland dysfunction (blocked oil-glands in the eyelid margin)
- Recurrent styes (infectious, painful swelling on eyelid)
- Chronic irritation (discomfort, heavy eyelid feeling)

✔ Use certified, ophthalmology-approved lid cleansers to clean your lids and lashes
✔ Avoid harsh facial cleansers near the eye
✔ Clean gently along the eyelid and lid margin (remember: 1mm!)

Healthy lids = healthy tear film.

Stay tuned for Part 2 (when I have the time to type again haha)!
Hope this has been useful to you.
😊
- Dr Eyebirami @ Abirami Shavani

10/02/2026

What's prostate medicine got to do with the eye?

Well. Watch and learn! DM me or comment below if you have any further questions!

09/02/2026

One way to measure the intraocular pressure (IOP) is by using an iCare tonometer. Useful for reviewing bed-bound patients or kids who can be quite fretful/anxious for an applanation tonometer method.
It's pretty accurate too!

iCare 200 allows you to hold the device in any direction without having to worry about the probe falling off (as compared to iCare 100).
It's a game changer and quite cool to carry around in a sleek briefcase.

03/02/2026

Grateful moments like this never get old. 👁️✨

I had the privilege of completing both-eye cataract surgery for this humble and remarkable gentleman. He's a former Associate Professor, and Campus Director of USM Engineering (in the late 90s). He carries the title Datuk but never tells it out loud. Such humility.

He came with long-standing bilateral dense cataracts, high myopia, and weak zonules rendering him a vision of 6/60 bilaterally. I performed the right eye surgery last year and a few months later the left eye surgery (just last week, in SMCI).
One eye received a monofocal toric, the other a monofocal lens. It proved to be enough for him.

Post-op Day 1 (left eye):
✨ 6/6 vision OU
✨ 6/9 for intermediate
✨ Zero pain
✨ A very happy patient

Seeing him regain visual independence (without any pain) and regaining his confidence was truly priceless. This is why we do what we do.
Looking forward to seeing him again this week for his 1-week follow-up after surgery.

Address

Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh
Ipoh
31150

Website

https://share.google/NlsGdkGJ2ARuIHznG, https://www.instagram.com/eyebirami, https://www.tiktok.com/@eyebirami.dr

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