In a concerning and unprecedented incident in Singapore, a woman suffered sudden blindness in July after undergoing a dermal filler procedure designed to temporarily alleviate wrinkles and facial folds.
The unfortunate incident occurred during an AestheFill dermal filler injection at a local Redhill clinic.
Parvus, the distributor of AestheFill in Singapore, has acknowledged the incident and is actively collaborating with all involved parties to investigate the situation further.
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Simultaneously, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), responsible for regulating health products, has launched an inquiry to determine if there were any batch-related issues that might have compromised the product's safety and quality. Notably, AestheFill received registration approval for use in Singapore in October 2021.
An HSA spokesperson revealed that on July 29th, Parvus reported a case of blood vessel occlusion leading to blindness after an AestheFill procedure. This represents the first locally reported adverse event resulting in blindness linked to dermal fillers.
HSA categorizes dermal fillers as Class D medical devices, signifying the highest level of risk associated with their use.
Brendan Pang, Parvus' general manager, emphasized that only qualified healthcare professionals are authorized to administer AestheFill. Pang further stated that AestheFill is an internationally recognized filler for aesthetic treatments, with inherent risks fully communicated to patients by trained medical doctors before treatment.
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According to sources familiar with the case, the affected patient is described as young and married. She experienced sudden blindness following the AestheFill injection at the clinic, affecting both of her eyes.
The HSA spokesperson clarified that there has been no discernible increase in reports of adverse events associated with aesthetic implants such as dermal fillers in Singapore. However, the risk of blindness due to blood vessel blockage is a known complication linked to dermal fillers, a detail typically outlined in the instructions provided to healthcare practitioners. The instructions for AestheFill explicitly caution against injecting into blood vessels due to the potential for blockage.
Notably, a study published in the BMC Ophthalmology online medical journal in March highlighted a case of a 23-year-old woman in Taiwan experiencing sudden blindness in one eye after an AestheFill injection. Similar incidents in Taiwan (2017) and Australia (2018) reported individuals losing their vision due to dermal filler injections.
According to a 2018 report by the Australian investigative show Four Corners, approximately 100 individuals worldwide reportedly experienced blindness following filler injections.
Source: The Straits Times
