In conjunction with the Singapore Malay Eye Study, the SICC study will permit an in-depth evaluation of the prevalence, risk factors, and impact of major eye diseases in Chinese, Indians and Malays, three distinct Asian ethnic groups, whose combined numbers represent half the world's population.

The prevalence of pterygium is 12.3% among urban Malays aged 40 years and older and higher than Chinese of similar ages in Singapore. Independent associations of pterygia with increasing age, male sex, outdoor occupations and systemic factors like blood pressure suggest a complex and multi-factorial aetiology for this condition.