Clinical Associate Professor Heng is a Senior Consultant in Cataract, Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the National Healthcare Group Eye Institute (NHGEI), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). With more than three decades of experience in ophthalmology, he has played a significant role in the development of corneal and refractive surgery in Singapore, as well as in specialist training, academic medicine and national healthcare programmes.

Assoc Prof Heng served as Head of the Cornea Service at NHGEI from 2003 to 2026 and Head of Refractive Surgery from 2007 to 2026. He has extensive expertise in cataract, corneal and refractive surgery, and has played a key role in introducing and establishing numerous advanced surgical procedures and techniques at TTSH throughout his career. These include topography-guided LASIK, transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK), kerato-lenticule extraction (KLEx), excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK), presbyopic corneal inlay and phakic intraocular lens implantation. His contributions to corneal surgery also include the establishment of advanced corneal transplantation procedures at TTSH, including femtosecond laser-assisted keratoplasty, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), rotational autokeratoplasty and amniotic membrane transplantation.

In 2003, Assoc Prof Heng established the Medical Contact Lens Clinic and the Hospital Eye Donation Programme at TTSH. These initiatives contributed to the development of specialised contact lens, corneal donation and corneal transplantation services at TTSH.

Assoc Prof Heng graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1990 and a Master of Medicine (Ophthalmology) in 1996. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (UK) in 1996 and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (USA) in 2004. In 2000, he completed a fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, USA.

He holds academic appointments as Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University. He has published numerous medical articles and has co-authored Colour Atlas and Synopsis of Cornea and External Eye Diseases.

Assoc Prof Heng is also actively involved in international ophthalmic education. He has been invited to lecture at medical conferences and perform live surgical demonstrations in cataract, corneal and refractive surgery in the USA, China, India, Italy, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. He has served as an instructor for LASIK and ophthalmic microsurgery courses and has trained and mentored numerous ophthalmologists from Singapore and overseas in cataract, refractive and corneal transplantation surgery. His commitment to surgical education has been recognised with multiple Best Surgical Teacher Awards at NHGEI.

Beyond his clinical and academic work, Assoc Prof Heng has held numerous leadership positions in ophthalmology and healthcare. He is a past President of the College of Ophthalmologists, Academy of Medicine, Singapore, and has served as Deputy Medical Director of NHGEI and Deputy Medical Director of the Singapore Eye Bank. He currently serves as Chairman of the Residency Advisory Committee (Ophthalmology) of Ministry of Health (MOH) and Co-Chair of the National Transplant Review Programme for Corneal Transplantation (MOH). He is also a Director on the Board of the Asia Cornea Foundation, a Member of the MOH Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation, and a Member of the Board of the Singapore Eye Bank.

He has contributed extensively to postgraduate medical education, including through his previous service as Chairman of the Ophthalmology Exit Examination Committee of the Joint Committee on Specialist Training and Chief Examiner for the American Board of Medical Specialties (Singapore) Ophthalmology Examination. He has also served on several national committees, including the MOH Specialist Training Committee for Ophthalmology, the Contact Lens Practitioner Board and the Singapore Society of Ophthalmology.

Assoc Prof Heng has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to clinical care, education, leadership and service, including the Singapore National Day Public Administration Medal (Bronze) (2026), National Healthcare Group Distinguished Senior Clinician Award (2020), Singapore National Day Long Service Medal (2018), MOH Human Manpower Development Plan Overseas Fellowship Awards (1999 and 2010), Asia Pacific Association of Cornea and Refractive Surgery Educator Award, SPRING Singapore Excellence Service Star Award, National Healthcare Group Service Champion Award, TTSH Staff Excellence Gold Award, and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital Distinguished Service Award for Eye and Vision Health.