Eye Care for Underprivileged Children and their Families
Every child should have the right to see the world clearly regardless of their background. Since 2015, we have started the CUHK Hong Kong Children Eye Care Programme to provide proactive and preventive children’s eye care to underprivileged communities, and advocate a “vision-friendly lifestyle” for children.
There is a lack of resources and awareness of children’s eye health. Vision impairments in children are often unnoticed and can develop into serious and irreversible consequences that harm vision and disrupt the quality of life, even leading to blindness in some of them. If the situation is detected early and managed appropriately, some complications can be prevented. The children’s visions will be saved, and their lives will be different.
Noting a higher trend for myopia in Hong Kong, the spin-off CUHK Jockey Club Myopia Prevention Programme commenced in October 2021 to reach out to ethnic minorities, children with special education needs and low socioeconomic backgrounds. We are grateful to be supported of HK$ 28.77 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for this new phase of the programme.
We hope to serve and provide eye care services to 15,000 underprivileged children and their families in the coming three years. We aspire to make a difference to the community by improving children’s eye health through advancing eye examination, health education and research.
- To advocate a “vision-friendly lifestyle” to children and raise public awareness on children’s eye health.
- To halt or slow down the myopic progression to prevent myopia-related complications in affected Hong Kong children.
- To be the world’s role model of children’s eye care to children from ethnic minority groups, low-income families and with special needs.
