Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (April 1):

Question:

     It is learned that in the 2023-2024 academic year, among Hong Kong primary and secondary school students who participated in annual health assessments at the Student Health Service Centres, those wearing glasses was 199 200 strong (specifically, 35.1 per cent of primary school students and 63 per cent of secondary school students wore glasses), whilst those having visual problems requiring further assessment was 79 400 strong. However, at present there are only about 350 registered ophthalmologists in Hong Kong to meet the demand. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
(1) whether the Government has currently conducted a systematic assessment of the main causes of the high prevalence of myopia among primary and secondary school students, and whether it will formulate corresponding policies and guidelines to improve the optical health of primary and secondary school students (particularly regarding the problem of the high prevalence of myopia); if so, of the details and the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) whether the Government has currently put specific policy measures in place to promote an increase in the time spent on outdoor activities and a decrease in the time spent on using electronic devices at a close distance for primary and secondary school students; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether the Government has plans to, in conjunction with relevant bureaux/departments and public bodies such as the Education Bureau, the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health and the Social Welfare Department, for instance, expand the coverage of the school vision screening scheme under the Student Health Service, and incorporate children's ophthalmic care into primary healthcare services in the community, with a view to enhancing and safeguarding students' optical health; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(4) whether the Government has plans to further allocate resources to train ophthalmologists, such as increasing training places and establishing a dedicated fund to subsidise ophthalmologists' further studies or purchase of relevant training equipment; if so, of the details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     In consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau, the Education Bureau (EDB), the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA), the reply to the questions raised by the Hon Maggie Chan is as follows: 
     
(1) and (3) The Government attaches great importance to the visual health of children and adolescents. Among others, the DH provides free vision screening service to children and adolescents in Hong Kong at different life stages of their development through the Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) and Student Health Service Centres (SHSCs) to identify students with vision problems early and provide them with timely advice and intervention. The services of the MCHCs of the DH include free Pre-School Vision Screening for pre-school children aged four to five, which seeks to facilitate the early identification of children with problems such as amblyopia, squint, significant refractive errors for referral to ophthalmologists or optometrists as necessary, and to undergo further visual assessment and treatment with a view to protecting their vision and visual development. As regards primary and secondary school students, the DH provides free annual health assessment services which cover visual screening.

     The DH released in mid-March this year the "Student Health Service Annual Health Report for 2024/25 School Year" which summarised the key findings of the free annual health assessment service and health assessment questionnaires provided for approximately 429 000 primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong in the 2024/25 school year, covering approximately 80 per cent of the primary school students across the territory. Results showed that excessive recreational screen time remained prevalent among local students while their vision health remained unsatisfactory. Among the students received the assessment: 
     
(a) Nearly half of them (46.8 per cent) were already wearing glasses, with the proportions for secondary and primary school students being 64.4 per cent and 34.9 per cent respectively;

(b) 17.3 per cent of the secondary and primary school students required further assessment due to failed preliminary visual acuity test, or other eye or visual problems. A higher proportion of students in higher grades needed to wear glasses or failed the preliminary visual acuity test, indicating deteriorating vision with age. The DH will refer the cases requiring further assessment to its Student Health Service (SHS) or private optometrists to follow up on their visual condition; 

(c) 41.8 per cent of the primary school students reported spending two hours or more using the internet or electronic screen products (including computers, tablets, smartphones, video games and television) for recreational purposes on a typical school day. Although the figure represents a decrease from that of the 2023/24 school year (which was 43.3 per cent), it remains higher than the pre-COVID years of around 30 per cent. For secondary school students, the corresponding proportion reaches as high as 81.1 per cent.

     To cultivate healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents from an early age, the DH launched the Health Promoting School Programme as a pilot project in 30 schools between 2019/20 and 2022/23 school years. The DH has regularised the pilot programme since the 2023/24 school year and renamed it as the Whole School Health Programme (WSHP). The DH also compiled individualised health reports for each participating school, recommending targeted school-based health promotion measures for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and social well-being, to improve students' physical and psychological well-being. As of early-March this year, 891 schools in Hong Kong have joined the WSHP, covering more than 75 per cent of primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, which marks an encouraging development. In addition, the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission) has also launched the Life Course Preventive Care Plan catering for the health needs of children and adolescents, and has developed the Hong Kong Primary Healthcare Reference Framework for preventive care for children, with a view to promoting the overall health of children and adolescents.
     
(2) Government departments have all along been providing health education for students and parents through various means, including reducing screen time and encouraging more physical activities, to protect students' vision.

     With reference to international guidelines, the DH updated the health advice on the use of electronic screen products in 2018, recommending that primary school students aged between six and 12 should limit recreational screen time to less than two hours a day, while secondary school students aged 12 to 18 should learn good time management and take regular breaks if prolonged screen time for study purpose is unavoidable. 
     
     The Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address announced that the DH would update the relevant guidelines to mitigate the impact of social media on the health of children and adolescents. The Advisory Group on Health Effects of Screen and Social Media Use for Children and Adolescents was established in October 2025, with representatives from the DH, the EDB, the Social Welfare Department, as well as scholars and representatives of non-governmental organisations. The interdepartmental expert Advisory Group is currently reviewing the latest medical and scientific evidence, as well as the relevant development and experiences in other countries and regions while consolidating expert opinions, with the aim of issuing updated health recommendations on the use of screen and social media by children and adolescents within 2026.
     
     Apart from reducing screen time, the DH recommends students to spend at least two hours outdoors each day to prevent or delay the onset of myopia, taking into account considerable number of studies had pointed out that spending time doing outdoor activities can prevent the onset of and delay the progression of myopia in children, and such effect is positively correlated to time spending outdoors. 
     
     In addition to doing more outdoor activities, the Government also encourages children and adolescents to establish regular and healthy lifestyle, and educates them to avoid excessive immersion in electronic devices through different subjects. In this regard, the EDB endeavours to support schools in adopting a life-wide learning approach through curriculum guides, learning and teaching resources and teacher training programmes to help schools provide diversified student activities, thereby fostering students' balanced development in their daily lives. Primary Humanities already includes the learning content on proper and healthy use of electronic devices, helping students understand the need to protect eyes, and pay attention to the posture and duration when using the devices. At the Junior Primary level, the Primary Science curriculum also incorporates learning elements such as healthy lifestyles and eye protection. It teaches students to engage in regular exercise and avoid the prolonged use of electronic devices, encouraging them to develop healthy living habits. Furthermore, the EDB revised the Physical Education (PE) Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 - Secondary 6) (Curriculum Guide) as early as 2017 to incorporate the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) on physical activity for children and adolescents aged five to 17 as the development direction of the PE curriculum, and in 2020, adopted the WHO’s updated guideline of "accumulating at least an average of 60 minutes daily of moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activities across the week", reminding students to engage in physical activity regularly to promote physical and mental well-being. Thus, the EDB launched the "Active Students, Active People" Campaign (the ASAP Campaign) and "MVPA60 Award Scheme" several years ago to support schools in promoting students’ physical fitness and health. Since the launch of the ASAP Campaign, student participation has exceeded 420 000.
     
(4) The Government is committed to enhancing public healthcare services to provide a safety net for the public. As of December 31, 2025, of the 348 doctors listed on Specialist Register of the Medical Council of Hong Kong and registered as ophthalmologists in Hong Kong, 110 (31.6 per cent) were providing services in the HA on a full time or part time basis. To address the public's ongoing demand for ophthalmic services, the Government will continue to strengthen the overall ophthalmology services in the HA, increase healthcare manpower and enhance professional training.

     Meanwhile, the HA will continue to review the demand for ophthalmology services, and progressively enhance the capability of the ophthalmology team through measures such as manpower planning, training and inter-disciplinary collaborations to increase the service capacity and efficiency, so as to ensure that patients in need, including children with various vision problems or eye diseases receive timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
     
     The Government has been committed to promoting prevention-oriented primary healthcare services in accordance with the recommendations of the Primary Healthcare Blueprint, including the active promotion of the Life Course Preventive Care Plan by the PHC Commission. Based on the core principles of prevention-oriented and whole-person care, a personalised preventive care plan will be formulated to address the health needs of citizens (including children) across different life stages with reference to the latest evidence. Family doctors and primary healthcare professionals will collaborate to provide health advice and education on healthy lifestyles tailored to individual factors such as age, sex, and family history, for instance, making recommendations on daily screen time based on children's age groups. Moreover, the District Health Centres will also provide health assessments and conduct health promotion activities, and play the role of a primary healthcare resource hub in the district by connecting different healthcare professions in the community to co-ordinate and make referrals for citizens in need (including children). The PHC Commission is studying to further extend eye health education and screening services through multidisciplinary collaboration (including allied health professionals such as nurses and optometrists) via family doctors.

Ends/Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:02

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