Prof. Timothy W. Tong (2nd from left), Miss Cally Kwong (2nd from right), Prof. Daniel Shek (1st from left), Interim Dean of FHSS and Associate Vice President, and Prof. To Chi-ho (1st from right) officiate at the kick-off ceremony.
Guests learn about the facilities in the mobile eye care unit.
Prof. Timothy W. Tong and Miss Cally Kwong send gifts to beneficiaries.
Group photo of Prof. Timothy W. Tong, Miss Cally Kwong and beneficiaries.
The "Vision of Love Mobile Eye Care Project" of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has benefited more than 9,000 people in local community since its launch last year. PolyU staged the 2018 Service Kick-off Ceremony for the Project today (3 February) to mark the further outreaching of the services in more districts. Besides providing community eye care and education to more people in need, the Project will also help facilitate community vision health studies.
Officiating guests of the kick-off ceremony included Professor Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President; Miss Cally Kwong, PolyU University Fellow and member of PolyU Foundation Governing Committee; and Professor To Chi-ho, Head of PolyU School of Optometry (SO).
Miss Kwong is also the Founder of "Vision of Love Fund". Established last year, the Fund has generously supported PolyU SO in launching the "Vision of Love Mobile Eye Care Project" with a focus on community vision care. The Project also appealed to the public for donating used eyeglasses, which SO fitted with suitable lenses after screening and cleaning, and dispensed to people in need.
Addressing the ceremony, Professor Tong thanked Miss Kwong for establishing the "Vision of Love Fund", which has helped PolyU students and faculty members to apply their expertise beyond the campus to serve people in need. He also shared his experience in providing vision screening, together with 34 PolyU students, in Kyrgyzstan to about 540 children and youth last July. "My first-hand experience has further strengthened my belief that the Project can greatly help minimize the risk of eye diseases among people in need through providing them with early assessment. Moreover, the Project also helps enhance the service learning experience for PolyU students."
Miss Cally Kwong expressed deep appreciation for PolyU faculty members, students and volunteers for their strenuous efforts put in the Vision of Love Mobile Eye Care Project in the past year. "I am delighted to learn that the initiatives supported by 'Vision of Love Fund' can benefit not only people in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, but also the needy in Kyrgyzstan who received the eyeglasses we have recycled and fitted with suitable lenses."
Service expansion in 2018 built on last year's encouraging achievements
Professor To Chi-ho said since 2014, SO has launched the "Learning through Providing Eye Care and Vision Health to the Community" service-learning subject for PolyU students. With the support of "Vision of Love Fund", SO can further extend its community care to benefit more people.
Outlining the achievements of the Project in 2017, Professor To reported that the team has visited 26 schools, elderly homes and welfare organisations to offer vision screening, comprehensive eye examination, follow-up evaluation, vision training, vision rehabilitation, and eye care education and seminars. The total number of beneficiaries reached 9,065 in the first year. In the campaign for collecting used eyeglasses, 10,000 pairs of glasses suitable for recycled use were collected.
In 2018, he said the Project would be further extended to 13 districts in Hong Kong, expecting to expand the service beneficiaries to about 10,000. SO would also analyze the data obtained under the Project for applying in research in, and development of, community eye care.
For details of the Project: www.polyu.edu.hk/so/visionoflove/
