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))