PolyU Optometry Clinic 40th Anniversary - “Clear Vision for a Great Future” Activities Result Announcement

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Optometry Clinic, we organized two competitions and invited primary school students from across Hong Kong to participate. These competitions aim to raise public awareness about the importance of eye care, encourage attention to eye health and vision development from an early age, and help prepare for a bright future with healthy vision. The response has been enthusiastic, with over a thousand entries received from primary school students of all grades. The results are as follows: [40th Anniversary of PolyU Optometry Clinic - Clear Vision for a Great Future Colouring Competition] winners include:  Champion:  Kwan Hoi Chun   1st Runner-up:  Wong Yee Lam  2nd Runner-up:  Chan Man Hei  Outstanding Award (7 winners):  Li Cheuk Him  Cheng Cheuk Hei  Chang Ka Hei  Lai Cheuk Kiu Scarlett  Tsang Ho Wai Victoria  Cheng Tsz Kiu  Jonia Cheung Sze Ching   Merit Award (15 winners):  Cheung Ngai Lam  Chang Ka Lam  Lui Man Wai  Tam Yik Tung  Ko Chung Hei  Pau Shing Hong  Wong Wing Suet Angel  Wong Sze Ching Cara  Chan Hau Chin  Yu Sum Yiu Clarence  Tong Yat Hei  Leung Tsz Yau  Leung Hoi Teng  Cheng Yau Sun  Amelia Serene Tso  The Most Active Participation School Award:  Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) Primary School  [40th Anniversary of PolyU Optometry Clinic - Clear Vision for a Great Future Slogan Design and Quiz Competition] winners include:  Champion:   Fung Joshua  1st Runner-up:  Wan Joey   2nd Runner-up:  Wong To Long , Aiden  Outstanding Award (7 winners):  Cheung Jarvis Hoi Yin  Leung Yuk Fan  Lam Chin Yui  Julia Zeng  Athena Ng Chi Kei  Ip Man Ka  Kwok Ho Sum  Merit Award (15 winners):  Kwok Kwan Yin  Fung Tsz Ching  Zhao Yilun  Chan Hei Yu Aaliyah  Ma Sum Wing  Fan Chun Yu  Athena Lau Yee Kiu  Zhen Pung Yu Sophia  Zhao Qianyu  Amie Chin Sze Wing  Chow Sze Wai  Janette Leung Sum Yu  Mary Wong  Yip Sum Yau Abbie  Leung Hiu Yuet Hannah  The Most Active Participation School Award:  St. Mary's Canossian School  Congratulations to all the winners listed above. We will contact you about the award presentation details. Once again, thank you to every participant for your involvement.    

PhD Student Lau Kin Hei received Best Student Presenter Award

Mr Lau Kin Hei, MPhil student at the School, has been awarded the Best Student Presenter Award for his exceptional performance in the Research Seminars in Semester 2, AY2024/25. His presentation was titled "Sports Vision: An Optometric Perspective and Preliminary Findings on Gaze Behaviors and Visual-Motor Skills in Athletes". The School hosts the Research Seminar Series biannually to foster academic dialogue among students and offer them a platform to present their research findings.

PolyU JUPAS Consultation Day 2025

The PolyU JUPAS Consultation Day 2025 wrapped up successfully on 24 May, drawing a large number of DSE candidates to the campus.  Over a hundred students and parents attended an exclusive student-sharing session, gaining valuable insights into School of Optometry's admission strategies and career opportunities. They also interacted with academic staff and student ambassadors from the School of Optometry, gaining a deeper understanding of the programme's unique features and learning experiences. ‍ Learn more about PolyU's JUPAS programmes: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study/ug/admissions/jupas

Optometry Students Win the 2nd Runner-up of Product Innovation Prize

We are delighted to announce that a team of our undergraduate students has achieved the 2nd Runner-Up in the “Dr Ching Yuen-kai – IC • U3DP • Product Innovation Prize 2024-25” competition. This event, initiated by the Faculty of Engineering (FENG) and supported by the Industrial Centre (IC) and the University Research Facility in 3D Printing (U3DP), attracted submissions from 26 teams, with only 8 teams shortlisted for the final round. Our winning team—AU Tsz Ching, Chan Ka Hei, and Chow Ho Yin (all Year 4, BSc (Hons) in Optometry)—impressed the judges with their innovative project titled AmblyoPatch – An Innovative Solution for Amblyopia. Developed at U3DP and IC, their prototype aims to provide a creative and practical solution for individuals affected by amblyopia, demonstrating the positive societal impact that engineering and product design can achieve. Reflecting on their journey, the team shared: “Winning 2nd runner-up in the 3D printing competition with our ‘AmblyoPatch’ prototype has been an incredibly meaningful journey, offering unique learning opportunities. Previously, we had only used various tools from an end-user's perspective. Through this competition, we have gained invaluable insights into viewing these tools from a designer's perspective, understanding their working principles and limitations. It was inspiring to take the concepts we learned in the Clinical Binocular Vision lectures and transform them into a tangible product that could potentially help treat amblyopia. Seeing our ideas come to life—from understanding the science of polarizers to designing and 3D printing a functional device—showed us the true power of combining theory with hands-on innovation. This experience not only deepened our learning about amblyopia and its treatments but also motivated us to continue pursuing product design with the goal of making a real difference in people’s lives.” We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements and their commitment to innovation and social impact. Congratulations once again to AU Tsz Ching, Chan Ka Hei, and Chow Ho Yin for their outstanding performance!

SO 3MT Competition 2025

The School of Optometry successfully hosted the Three Minute Thesis Competition on 21 May 2025. This challenging platform allows postgraduate students to showcase their academic, presentation, and research communication skills by condensing their extensive research into an engaging three-minute presentation, making their work accessible to a general audience. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone for participating! Name Presentation Title Chief Supervisor Award Ms Nandini RAVI A Link between Colour vision and Myopia Prof. Henry Chan Champion Ms WANG Xinyue Using tears as a non- invasive source for early detection of multi-class disease Prof. Zhou Lei First Runner-up Mr SZE Ying Hon Light-Switch Eyes: New Ways to Slow Myopia Prof. Thomas Lam Second Runner-up

PolyU’s AI and medicine-engineering integration empowers a new era of medical excellence

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to harnessing medicine-engineering integration and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare to drive innovations and translation of research outcomes into real-world solutions. These efforts support the development of precision medicine, preventive medicine, and primary healthcare, thereby enhancing the quality and efficiency of healthcare services in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA), while also contributing to Hong Kong’s development into an international health and medical innovation hub. PolyU has established a strong foundation in medical and health research, supported by key infrastructure, including seven relevant research institutes and centres under the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research, 19 university-level research institutes and centres, and four University Research Facilities. By integrating expertise from engineering, medicine, and public health, these facilities drive the development of innovative solutions to advance healthcare in Hong Kong and beyond. A team led by Prof. HE Mingguang, Director of the PolyU-Wuhan Technology and Innovation Research Institute, Henry G. Leong Professor in Elderly Vision Health, Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology of the PolyU School of Optometry, Director of the Research Centre for SHARP Vision and Global STEM Scholar, was invited to showcase their teams’ innovation.  AI-assisted non-invasive angiography to help overcome the bottleneck of traditional diagnostic approach Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness globally. The traditional diagnostic approach relies on fluorescein angiography, which is invasive, expensive and causes patient discomfort, putting constraints on primary healthcare screening capacity. A team led by Prof. HE Mingguang, Director of the PolyU-Wuhan Technology and Innovation Research Institute, Henry G. Leong Professor in Elderly Vision Health, Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology of the PolyU School of Optometry, Director of the Research Centre for SHARP Vision and Global STEM Scholar, has leveraged Generative AI technology to facilitate the diagnosis of eye diseases. Their innovation marks three significant breakthroughs. Firstly, it converts fundus photographs to high-precision angiographic images and dynamic videos within a couple seconds, eliminating the risks associated with traditional dye injections. Secondly, its smart diagnostic system enables early detection of pathological changes on the retina such as microaneurysms and retinal hemorrhages, with a sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 91.8%. Thirdly, by incorporating ultra-widefield imaging technology, it expands the detection area by 300%. The innovation has already secured five different international patents and is now undergoing multi-centre clinical trials in top medical institutions in GBA. Its teleconsultation system also enables patients in remote areas to receive ophthalmic diagnostic services. This breakthrough research won the Special Merit Award from French Inventors Federation and Europe-France Inventors and a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. More details about PolyU’s AI and medicine-engineering integration: https://polyu.hk/ONbNL

PolyU and Stanford Medicine join hands to establish joint collaboratory for longitudinal deep omics

PolyU and Stanford Medicine have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the PolyU-Stanford Joint Collaboratory for Longitudinal Deep Omics (LDO). Leveraging PolyU’s strengths in biomedical engineering, AI-driven health analytics, and precision medicine–alongside Stanford Medicine’s pioneering expertise in genetics and multi-omics–this partnership aims to establish a standardised multi-omics ageing cohort to investigate the biological mechanisms underpinning healthy and pathological ageing, identify personalised biomarkers, predict ageing-related diseases, and advance the development of precision medicine.

School of Optometry triumphs with 8 awards at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, demonstrating outstanding research excellence and innovation capabilities

The PolyU School of Optometry achieved a record-breaking 8 awards at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, an esteemed annual event dedicated to inventions. Seven innovations from the School garnered these accolades, including 1 Special Prize, 1 Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, 2 Gold Medals, and 4 Silver Medals. Notably, 2 of these innovations were developed by the Centre for Eye and Vision Research, a collaboration between PolyU and the University of Waterloo. This outstanding accomplishment underscores the School's robust research capabilities and dedication to innovation on a global scale. The project titled “Seeing the Invisible: Generating Non-invasive Angiography as an Alternative to Invasive Retinal Examinations”, developed by the research team led by Prof.  HE Mingguang, Henry G. Leong Professor in Elderly Vision Health and Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Optometry; Director, Research Centre for SHARP Vision and Dr SHI Danli, Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry, garnered the Special Merit Award from French Inventors Federation and Europe-France Inventors and a Gold Medal with Jury Commendation. This innovation addresses diabetic retinopathy (DR), a leading cause of blindness, by replacing invasive and expensive fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) with a non-invasive, cost-effective screening solution empowered by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). It converts colour fundus photography into high-resolution, realistic FFA images, preserving critical lesion details without the need for dye injections. It also supports ultra-widefield imaging and dynamic lesion-preserving video generation.  Another project titled “Eye-on-a-chip Device”, developed by the research team led by Dr ZHOU Liping, Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research; Director, Eyenova Biotech Limited (a PolyU startup) and Dr PHAN Chau-Minh, Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UWaterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research; Director, Eyenova Biotech Limited (a PolyU startup), won the Gold Medal. This Eye-On-a-Chip Device is a next-generation in vitro platform that mimics the ocular environment for testing eye products, including ophthalmic solutions, pharmaceuticals, drugs and medical devices. Designed for researchers and pharmaceutical companies, it also utilises microfluidics to simulate tear flow and employs real-time imaging with an automated analysis algorithm for cell health assessment.  PolyU School of Optometry’s winning innovations at the 50th Geneva Inventions Expo:   Project and Award(s) Principal Investigator(s)    Seeing the Invisible: Generating Non-invasive Angiography as an Alternative to Invasive Retinal Examinations Special Merit Award from French Inventors Federation and Europe-France Inventors Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury Dr SHI Danli (Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry) Prof. HE Mingguang (Henry G. Leong Professor in Elderly Vision Health and Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Optometry; Director, Research Centre for SHARP Vision)     Behaviour Recognition Method, Device and Wearable Device Gold Medal Prof.  HE Mingguang (Henry G. Leong Professor in Elderly Vision Health and Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Optometry; Director, Research Centre for SHARP Vision) Dr TO Yuen Ying Elaine (Postdoctoral Fellow in Ophthalmology, School of Optometry)   Eye-on-a-chip Device   Gold Medal   Dr ZHOU Liping (Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research; Director, Eyenova Biotech Limited (a PolyU startup) ) Dr PHAN Chau-Minh (Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UWaterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research;  Director, Eyenova Biotech Limited (a PolyU startup))   The EyeFatigue Tracker: Exploring Visual Health through Wearable Devices and Deep-Learning Technology  Silver Medal Dr CHEN Yanxian (Research Assistant Professor, School of Optometry)   STARS: Smartphone AI Refraction System  Silver Medal   Prof. DO Chi Wai (Associate Professor, School of Optometry) Prof. Grace NGAI (Associate Professor, Department of Computing)   Biomimetics Nanoplatform for the Treatment of Retinal Diseases Silver Medal   Prof. DO Chi Wai (Associate Professor, School of Optometry; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research) Prof. Emmanuel HO (Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research)   Wellsees Orthokeratology Contact Lens  Silver Medal   Dr Jason Ki-Kit LAU (Technical Director, Wellsees Technologies Co Ltd) Mr Roger Jing ZHANG (Founder, Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd.) Prof. Chea-su KEE (Head, School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Co-Founder, Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd. ) Dr Andy WANG (Associate Professor, College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University; Co-Founder, Wellsees Technologies Co., Ltd. (a PolyU startup))   The 50th Geneva Inventions Expo attracted over a thousand entries from close to 40 countries and regions. To learn more about these impactful projects, please refer to the PolyU website or visit the website of the PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office.

PhD Student Ken Chan Wins Prestigious "For Our Future Scholarship" for Innovation in Optometry

Ken Chan Kin-ho, a PhD student of the School of Optometry, has been awarded the esteemed “For Our Future Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2024/25” by the GBA Homeland Youth Community Foundation. This accolade recognizes his groundbreaking research on the algorithm of a portable High-Definition Corneal Topographer.

2025 World Optometry Week: Optometry Clinic Tour and Insights into Comprehensive Eye Examination

In collaboration with The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists (HKAPPO), the School of Optometry successfully hosted the “2025 World Optometry Week – Optometry Clinic Tour and Insights into Comprehensive Eye Examination” on 18-19 March 2025.  We were honored to welcome distinguished guests, including Ms Tang Ming Wai Mandy, Chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Dr Hon David Lam Tzit-yuen, Legislative Council Member, as well as representatives from Sik Sik Yuen, The Hong Kong Asthma Society, the Association of Hong Kong Nursing Society, and Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. This event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the specialized and professional services offered at the PolyU Optometry Clinic and to emphasize the crucial role of optometrists play in Hong Kong’s healthcare system.  World Optometry Week is an annual event organized by the World Council of Optometry to raise awareness about the vital role of optometry in global health and wellness. The week emphasizes the importance of eye care as a fundamental human right and encourages optometrists, healthcare leaders, and policymakers worldwide to prioritize eye health within the global health agenda. The theme for 2025, "Eyes to the Future: Optometry Improving Global Wellness," underscores the profession's commitment to enhancing access to eye health care globally.