The vet with a soft spot for feline patients

"I saw a cat with an eye problem, and after speaking to my senior vet colleagues, they agreed the cat needed to be checked out by a specialist," she recalls.

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Dr Sandhya Nair's special interest in feline medicine and ophthalmology stemmed from her experience as a junior vet in Singapore.

Unfortunately, the cat's owner chose not to go due to financial reasons, and a week later, the cat lost its vision.

"That episode hit me hard. I felt like if I knew better, I could have made a difference," she says.

She finds that with early diagnosis of eye conditions, vision can be preserved.

Dr Nair, who graduated from the University of Melbourne in Australia with a veterinary science degree in 2010, completed her postgraduate ophthalmology programme at the University of Sydney in 2013.

Her journey to becoming a vet started when she was in junior college.

"I've always loved animals, but coming from a family that does not, my exposure to animals was only through being a volunteer at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," says the 38-year-old, who would spend her weekends at the animal welfare charity.

"I knew I wanted to study vet science, and there was no second option. Thankfully, my parents were very supportive," she adds.