Joanne Soh
The times of the strait
March 9, 2026

A small red spot on his left eyelid almost caused veteran local actor Richard Low to lose his sight.

In 2013, the 73-year-old recalled first noticing the small spot while washing his face. Assuming it was an insect bite.He paid little attention to it. But the next day it grew more.

When he was about to go on vacation to Guangzhou, China, he decided to consult a doctor, who gave him the green light to continue with the trip.

“The red spot soon turned into a rash and began to spread upwards to my forehead,” said Low, who immediately went to a hospital in Guangzhou, where he was diagnosed with shingles.

He was sharing about his brush with viral infection with The Straits Times on March 7 in DS Connect #1. The event, organized by non-profit organization Diabetes Singapore and healthcare company GSK, was held in conjunction with Shingles Action Week 2026, which aims to raise awareness about the risks of shingles, especially among adults aged 50 and over.

Low was joined by fellow Singaporean actors Chen Shucheng and Zhu Houren, known collectively as OG Gang on social media.

Low said he was told by the Guangzhou doctor that he could have suffered permanent eye damage if the rash had spread to the eye region.

“I was so scared… The rash had turned into blisters. Although there was no pus, the blisters had started to bleed,” he added.

He received intravenous treatment for two consecutive days in the hospital, with each session lasting between two and three hours. The treatment helped control the spread of the infection and he was then able to continue his holiday.

Shingles, also known as shingles, is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. A common symptom of shingles is intense, burning nerve-related pain that can sometimes last for weeks.

Low said he was very lucky to only feel itchy around the affected area and didn’t feel any pain. But to this day he still occasionally feels some tightness and a tingling sensation around his left eye, especially if he’s been out in the sun too long.

“It’s been more than 10 years and I still feel the lingering effect, but fortunately I don’t feel any pain,” he said.

“I later learned that a friend of mine had a similar condition, also rashes on his face, but he suffered pain for more than a year,” Low said, adding that his friend did not seek medical attention until much later.

Doctors advise shingles sufferers to seek treatment within 72 hours of the first symptoms appearing, to reduce pain and shorten the period of infection.

Unlike Low, Chen, 76, felt immense pain when he had shingles more than a decade ago.

“I didn’t think much about it at the time. I was feeling fatigued and had a fever. I had been working non-stop, so I thought it was just the flu,” he said.

When he noticed rashes around his torso, he thought it was a skin infection. It was only at the urging of his wife that he went to see a doctor.

Chen, who had difficulty sleeping, described the pain as if he had been stung by thousands of red ants. He recovered after about three weeks.

Among the OG Gang trio, only Zhu, 71, has been saved so far, but he admits to being afraid of contracting shingles.

Chen joked that it was only a matter of time before Zhu contracted the disease, as he had already had a previous chickenpox infection.

According to the University Health Center at the National University of Singapore, it is estimated that between 80 and 85 percent of adults would have had chickenpox and 20 percent of these people would later develop shingles. It is estimated that Singapore has around 30,000 new cases of shingles each year.

However, only a minority, about 3 per cent, of Singaporeans aged between 50 and 79 believe they are at high risk of contracting shingles, according to the results of an August 2025 survey conducted by market research firm Ipsos on behalf of biopharmaceutical company GSK.

While the incidence of shingles increases among people aged 50 and older and increases more sharply after age 60, younger people are not immune to it.

Zhu told how her daughter-in-law, who is in her 30s and married to her eldest son, filmmaker Jonathan Choo, was diagnosed with shingles in April 2025, a month before giving birth to her first child.

He had noticed small red spots on his neck and quickly sought medical attention. She worked closely with her obstetrician, who prescribed medications that were safe for pregnant women, and she recovered within a week.

“The rash did not spread and she did not feel pain either,” Zhu said.

Chen said: “Having shingles taught me not to be stubborn and to seek medical attention as soon as possible. It is very normal for us older people to just endure any discomfort or try to self-medicate instead of consulting a doctor.”

He added: “That’s why I always tell my colleagues now to seek help quickly if they feel like they are suffering from something. As we get older, our immune system is not as strong.”

Zhu emphasized, “That’s why we need to make sure we stay active to stay healthy. I’m also very kiasu (Hokkien for being afraid of losing). I’ll go to the doctor whenever I think I’m not feeling well.”

Correction note: In a previous version of the story, we said the University Health Center report was released on March 9. This has been corrected.

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