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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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