Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ20: Promoting eye care
Following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today
(November 28):
Question:
It has been reported that Hong Kong is one of the places in the world with an
extremely high myopia rate, but very few members of the public have the habit of
undergoing regular eye examinations. In this connection, will the Government
inform this Council:
(a) whether it has conducted a study to compare the respective percentages of
children, adults and the elderly in Hong Kong who are suffering from myopia,
hyperopia, amblyopia, squint or other eye diseases and need to wear glasses with
the corresponding figures in other places, and whether it has assessed the
expenditure related to such eye diseases and the possible economic losses as a
result; if so, of the results; if not, whether the Government will consider
conducting such a study and assessment;
(b) given that some optometrists have suggested that both children and the
elderly should receive primary eye care examinations annually, whether the
Government will consider providing free eye examination services to all school
children and the elderly, as well as reconsider providing a special grant to
cover the costs of spectacles to children from families receiving Comprehensive
Social Security Assistance;
(c) whether it will consider increasing the number of educational places for
optometry so as to train more qualified optometrists; and
(d) of the current work plan for promoting eye care and the progress in this
respect, and whether it will consider allocating additional resources to
strengthen the promotion work to enhance public awareness of eye care?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) According to the Population Health Survey 2003/2004, among the non-institutionalised
population aged 15 or above, 8.4% reported that they had "poor" or "very poor"
eyesight, while nearly 40% of the respondents had myopia and 12.3% of them were
classified as having "severe" myopia. As for other eye diseases, the above
survey shows that 2.4% of the respondents had had cataract operation and the
proportion of the population suffering from cataract increased with age.
According to the information provided by the Elderly Health Centres of the
Department of Health (DH), there were 67% and 4% elderly people suffering from
cataract and glaucoma respectively.
Screening tests were conducted by DH's Family Health Service on 3,349
four-year-old children between January and March 2005, in which 4.0%, 1.5% and
0.9% of them were diagnosed by ophthalmologists as suffering from refractive
errors (i.e. myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism), amblyopia or a squint
respectively.
As indicated by research findings of local universities and other academic
literature, the respective percentages of children, adults and the elderly
having myopia in Hong Kong were about 30% to 74%, 41% and 9%, which are
comparable with those in Taiwan and Singapore but higher than those in the
United States, Canada, Sweden and Australia. That said, in view of the varying
approaches adopted in the relevant academic researches, a direct comparison of
the findings may not be possible.
We do not maintain data on the expenditure related to eye diseases and the
economic losses that might have been caused by such diseases. We have no plan to
conduct any research in this respect for the time being.
(b) The Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) under DH provide free child
health services, including vision screening test, for pre-school children. In
addition, DH offers student health services for day school students from Primary
One to Secondary Seven. Arrangements are made annually for participating
students to receive a range of health services, including vision check. Students
found to have vision problems may choose to receive a more detailed examination
by an optometrist at a Special Assessment Centre under DH or by a private
optometrist. About 520,000 students received vision check under the Student
Health Service Scheme in the 2006-07 academic year.
As for the elderly, the Elderly Health Centres under DH provide basic eye
examination for the elderly person receiving health assessment, and assess other
risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension that might lead to eye diseases.
Doctors would make arrangements for the elderly found to have symptoms of eye
diseases, having regard to their clinical needs, to receive further examinations
or refer them to the ophthalmology departments of specialist outpatient clinics
for follow-up treatment. In 2006, some 38,000 elderly persons underwent health
assessment and eye examination at the Elderly Health Centres.
At present, all practising optometrists in Hong Kong are required to register
for professional practice. They are up to professional standard, and many of
them provide free eye examination service for the general public in the market.
Moreover, under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme,
financial assistance will be provided to CSSA households with children who need
to wear glasses but are in genuine financial difficulty to pay for them, having
regard to the actual situation of these families.
(c) Between 2004 and 2006, there were a total of 81 graduates in optometry in
Hong Kong. According to a Graduate Employment Survey, 61 out of the 64
respondents are engaged in the profession of optometry. The Administration will,
in the light of the demand of society, provide advice to institutions funded by
the University Grants Committee on the manpower requirements of optometrists as
and when necessary so as to assist the institutions in formulating their
academic development proposals.
(d) At present, DH promotes eye care for people of various ages. The Family
Health Service of DH distributes leaflets on vision screening test and eye
protection tips for pre-school children and plays VCD at MCHCs to remind parents
of the importance of vision screening and eye protection for their children.
Apart from arranging vision screening tests for 520,000 students in 2006, the
Student Health Service Centres also organise eye care talks on a regular basis
and distribute leaflets on eye protection.
DH's Elderly Health Centres and Visiting Health Teams have been providing health
education for the elderly and their carers on the elderly's common eye diseases
and eye care. The purpose is to enhance their knowledge about eye care and
heighten their alertness to the early symptoms of eye diseases, so as to enable
early identification and treatments. In 2006, the Centres conducted vision tests
for 38,000 elderly and provided them with relevant health advice. The Visiting
Health Teams also organised more than 140 talks on relevant topics attended by
over 5,000 persons.
On the other hand, information on some eye diseases has been uploaded onto the
website of the Hospital Authority. A number of community organisations also make
available eye care information to the public. Some medical associations (e.g.
Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society), non-government organisations (e.g. Haven of
Hope Christian Service and United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service)
and academic institutions (e.g. Hong Kong Polytechnic University) also provide
information on common eye diseases and eye care knowledge as well as eye
examination services for the public.
The resources currently allocated for eye care promotion are sufficient.
However, we will continue to keep an eye on the needs in this respect and
consider whether it is necessary to allocate additional resources having regard
to the actual situation.
Ends/Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:46
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