Chief Supervisor

Dr Tina LIAN

Project Title

Synopsis

Myopia is a common eye disorder worldwide. Hong Kong also reported a high prevalence of myopia among schoolchildren, reaching 70% by 17 years of age. Given that the rate of myopia progression is usually highest among schoolchildren, this is the key period to implement myopia control to slow down the progression such that the ocular complications that occur in adulthood may be prevented.

A number of treatments have been developed and proven to be effective in controlling the progression of myopia. However, the decision to move forward with treatment is usually determined by the parents and influenced by many different factors. Understanding these factors and the parent’s willingness-to-pay for myopia control treatment is particularly important. From these information, cost-effectiveness model can be developed to examine the efficiency and equity of hypothetical programmes of myopia control.

This study will involve an interdisciplinary research approach which aims to synthesize the parental preferences data with the economic evaluation and information on the likely impact on specific population groups e.g. by socioeconomic status, to explore the trade-off between equity and efficiency for myopia control treatment. This can help to produce more accurate and comprehensive information to guide future strategies for myopia control.