The Early Years
At three years old, Naomi’s parents took her for an eye check-up and discovered that she was severely myopic as a toddler, with 1,500 degrees of short-sightedness in each eye!
Her parents then realised why she often avoided bright, moving images, and she would always walk away from these light sources. She also showed no interest in watching television.
From that time on, after the eye check-up, Naomi wore thick, heavy glasses that became a defining part of her early life.
Naomi’s childhood was different from other children’s. She dreaded the yearly eye check-ups, with the painful eye drops and intimidating bright lights.
At ten, when her classmates enjoyed swimming lessons, she could not join them because she was too young to wear contact lenses at the time.
During physical education lessons in school, she would avoid ball games and often ran far away from any ball, constantly fearing that the ball would shatter her thick glasses.
Academically, Naomi’s parents lowered their expectations, hoping she could pass every subject without further straining her eyes, including passing over the opportunity to study Higher Chinese.
At twelve years old, Naomi’s eye retina had become overly stretched, and she underwent freeze-treatment surgery to prevent tear and detachment, spending a month after her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) to recover from surgery.
Around that time, she learned about lens implant, a reversible procedure that could drastically improve vision. However, the high cost of the implant, at S$20,000, was far beyond her family’s means, and the idea was shelved indefinitely.
In Naomi’s growing-up years, she accepted that possessing blurred, imperfect vision was her reality.
She thanked God daily that she could still see and function, despite this eyesight limitation.
A Prayer
During a routine eye check-up in October 2022, Naomi’s doctor gave her the sobering news that her retina is weakening and she may lose her vision over time.
That day, Naomi was gripped with fear after receiving this sad piece of news. She chose to persevere in her faith in God and shared the doctor’s diagnosis with a few close friends. One of them, Si Qin, sent her this message:
“Just leave it to God. Pray for Him to restore and renew your retina, that He will give you a new pair of eyes when you wake up.”
Naomi thankfully responded with “Amen,” but silently wondered in her heart, “Is that even possible?”
The Decline
In the early part of 2024, Naomi’s vision began to worsen rapidly. She did not tell anyone. The prospect of losing her sight began to change everything for her.
Having experienced miraculous healings from God in the past, she believed God would heal her eyes. She prayed fervently, in her room, at the church altar, asking God to restore her sight so she could continue serving effectively in church ministry.
Instead of improving, her vision continued to deteriorate.
In June 2025, Naomi travelled alone to the United States for the first time. She could barely read the information signs at customs check counters and prayed her way through the process, leaning on God’s grace.
Two months later, she travelled to China on another work trip. Again, she could not see the information on customs check counters, but God provided a staff escort who accompanied her from the airport to the hotel.
During a meeting with a client in a brightly lit room, she was almost blinded by her eye floaters and blurred vision. Naomi was overwhelmed, physically and emotionally.
By September 2025, her eyes could no longer function normally. With much apprehension, she went to see her optometrist. After a lengthy thirty-minute check, she looked at Naomi tearfully and said,
“Your eye myopia is now 2,800 degrees. I can’t help you anymore. You need to consult your doctor immediately.”
Naomi broke down and cried.
Her optometrist said to her, “We will pray. Let’s believe in God’s miracle.”
Naomi’s doctor appointment was six days away. It was the longest six days of her life.
The fear of losing her vision completely terrified her, and every night, she was kept awake. She prayed fervently and sought out her close friends and churchmates to pray for her.
She prepared herself mentally and emotionally for the eventual outcome of the doctor’s visit.
The Turnaround
With bad news from her optometrist, Naomi was uncertain about what to expect from the doctor’s visit.
On the day of her medical appointment, her doctor said, “Miss Ng, you have mature eye cataracts and will require surgery as soon as possible to implant new lenses.”
Naomi was stunned. “Cataracts at thirty-eight years old?”
The doctor continued, “After surgery, you will be able to see clearly again—without glasses or contact lenses.”
She was unsure if she had heard the doctor correctly. “Did he say that she wasn’t going blind but she would be able to see clearly again?”
Naomi left the clinic overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. God has heard and answered her prayers, not in her timing, but in His.
God’s delay is not his denial. While she thought He was silent, He was preparing a healing experience beyond what she could fathom, not just to restore her eyesight, but to provide for the costs of the procedure completely.
What was considered out of reach when she was a child, is now covered under Medisave and company insurance.
When Naomi shared the good news with her close friend Si Qin, she reminded her of what she told her in 2022: “God will give you a new pair of eyes.”
Indeed, He did.
The Second Miracle
As part of pre-surgery checks, Naomi needed to undergo a retina scan, which revealed two blood clots. Due to early detection, these clots were treated in time. Indeed, God is all-knowing, abounding in His mercy and grace towards her.
Due to Naomi’s extremely high eye myopia and irregular retinal shape, her cataract surgery carried a higher risk.
Her doctor assured her, “Trust in His sovereignty. We live by faith, not by sight. Worrying is not of God—it’s a sin. Let’s pray.” These God-moments continually assured her of God’s abiding presence.
Naomi’s surgery was a success.
A New Vision
Today, every morning when Naomi opens her eyes, she can see her world vividly – sharper colours, clearer details. She no longer needed to depend on spectacle glasses or contact lenses. It is an experience that she has never savoured before.
To her, life has become cheerful and bright. Although she still needs to use reading glasses and can see floaters in her vision, she is deeply grateful to God for healing her blurred vision and giving her a new set of eyes to see His creation in all its beauty.
Naomi can now truly say: “I once was blind, but now I see.”
God has given her not just physical sight, but a new vision and zest for life.
Reflections:
What is an impossible 2,800 degree fear that stands before you today?
- Impossibility vs Provision: : “God’s delay is not His denial” What does this mean for you today?
- Faith in doubt: Faith isn’t the absence of doubt, but trusting God right in the middle of it.
- A New Vision for Life: Do you need new eyes to see today what God sees for your life today? Ask Him to show you.
