S’pore Woman Went Blind After Dermal Filler Aimed to Reduce Wrinkles

In July 2023, a woman went to a clinic to get a dermal filler to temporarily reduce wrinkles and folds in the skin.

Unfortunately, things went awry and she reportedly lost her sight.

Here’s what happened.

S’pore Woman Went Blind After Dermal Filler Aimed to Reduce Wrinkles

According to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), AestheFill was registered for use in Singapore back in October 2021.

On 29 July 2023, Parvus, the Singapore distributor for AestheFill in Singapore reported an incident of occlusion leading to blindness after AestheFill was administered to a woman.

As dermal fillers are Class D medical devices deemed as carrying the highest risks, companies have to make a report within ten days of the incidents.

This is the first time such an incident has happened in Singapore.

According to Straits Times, the female patient was young and married.

She had went to a clinic in Redhill to get the dermal filler.

Unfortunately, she experienced sudden blindness in both eyes after getting the filler.

Currently, HSA is investigating to find out if there is any batch-related defects that could affect the quality and safety of the product.

Parvus Response to the Incident

ST tried to get into contact with the clinic’s doctor to no avail.

The clinic’s website and social media page, however, indicated his expertise in the domain.

According to Parvus general manager, Brendan Pang, only qualified healthcare professionals are allowed to use AestheFill.

Parvus also “continuously invests in training programmes focused on injection anatomy and technique upgrades to ensure optimal patient outcomes”, he said.

AestheFill, he said, is “an internationally recognised filler for aesthetic treatments.”

“As with any medical procedure, there are inherent risks, which are fully communicated to patients by the trained medical doctors prior to treatment.”

The company is currently in direct contact with all parties and are “working diligently to understand the circumstances”.

Previous AestheFill Incidents Overseas

According to HSA, blindness due to blood vessel blockage is a known risk for dermal fillers.

The risks are usually introduced in the instructions for use to practitioners, and they are advised against injecting dermal fillers into the blood vessel.

Other common complications for dermal fillers include:

• Swelling
• Redness
• Raised bumps in or under skin
• Paling skin
• Temporary blurring of vision

Practitioners who administer dermal fillers are typically required to undergo training by the companies.

In March 2023, a 23-year-old Taiwanese went blind in one eye after an AestheFill injection.

In 2017, there were reports in Taiwan about individuals going blind after using dermal filler injections.

In 2018, there were similar reports in Australia.

There were reportedly about 100 cases of blindness after using dermal fillers worldwide.