Chief Supervisor

Dr Tina LIAN

Project Title

Synopsis

Vision impairment (VI) is a public health concern in Hong Kong and wordwide. The magnitude of VI and the health burden it caused on society is estimated to increase significantly because of population ageing. The routine sight test is an important means of preventing VI and has been recommended for the elderly.

Hong Kong has an ageing population, with the figure for those aged 65 and over rising from 1.32 million in 2019 to over 2.5 million in 2050. With finite health care resources and the increasing ageing population, optimising routine sight testing to improve efficiency is a key challenge that needs to be addressed.

This research will estimate and project the disease and economic burden of VI in Hong Kong up to 2050, and conduct an economic evaluation of various population-based routine sight testing strategies to examine which are most cost-effective in minimising future disease and economic burdens resulting from VI. The results of this research will help plan and develop vision care services in response to the transition of an ageing population.