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According to a study conducted by CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine), one in every seven adults aged 40 or above has a disability in at least one eye. To raise public awareness of eye health and diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) Medical Society, in collaboration with the S.H. Ho Foundation Ltd., the Lions Kidney Educational Centre and Research Foundation, and the Topaz Edelweiss Foundation, will organise the health exhibition “Health InSight” in three consecutive weekends from 15 October. It will cover various common eye diseases, such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Members of the public are welcome. Admission is free.

The event will include health talks delivered by professors and ophthalmologists; display boards and anatomical models to explain on eye diseases; and free eye examinations to screen for eye diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration and dry eye disease. Free health checks, including blood glucose, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and Body Mass Index measurement, will also be provided. The organisers estimate that the exhibition will be able to reach more than 20,000 citizens and provide about 4,000 of them with health checks.

CUHK’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Rocky S. Tuan said, “The onslaught of screen time has been accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning we are glued to our devices like never before. A study by CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine has found that one in five post-COVID patients has at least one recent-onset symptom related to dry eye disease such as blurred vision, itching, pain, or burning. Ageing is also a major cause of eyesight deterioration. Unless we protect our eyes properly, vision problems are likely to occur as we age. As our society gets older, it is imperative to learn how to take good care of our eyes. By providing free eye checks to citizens, and delivering practical eye care tips in an easy-to-understand approach through display boards, health talks and demonstrations, this year’s Health Exhibition educates the public on the importance of eye care. I truly believe that citizens will benefit from the careful explanation and guidance of CUHK medical students.”

CU Medicine’s Dean Professor Francis Chan added, “Every year, the Medical Society organises a health exhibition to fulfil its mission of promoting medical knowledge to the public. CU Medicine is fully supportive of the event, as it is a valuable learning experience for our medical students, allowing them to apply their medical knowledge in the real world and learn to communicate with the public. I am impressed by their devotion and passion in organising such a big event. We hope that the exhibition goes smoothly and is popular.”

Professor Clement Tham, Chairman of CU Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, remarked, “We have prepared some special equipment to provide eye examination services, such as intraocular pressure and refractive error measurements, which allow citizens to better understand the condition of their eyes and learn ways to deal with eye diseases. Through the diverse range of topics covered by the exhibition, the public can acquire relevant medical information and establish healthy lifestyles. With greater awareness of eye health, citizens can adopt precautions to avoid developing eye diseases and treat these diseases at an earlier stage.”

The exhibition will be held at MOSTown in Ma On Shan on 15 and 16 October, Laguna Plaza in Lam Tin on 22 and 23 October, and at Citywalk 2 in Tsuen Wan on 29 and 30 October.

CUHK’s Medical Society is a non-profit student organisation that has been organising the annual Health Exhibition since 1988, to raise public awareness of general health and promote medical knowledge to the public. This year marks the 34^th rendition of the event.

For more information about the Health Exhibition, feel free to visit our website: https://cuhkhealthexhibition.co