Applications for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (2019/20)

The School is now inviting application for admission to PhD programmes at PolyU via the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) 2019/20. Fellowship Award Upon successful admission to our School's PhD programme via HKPFS, awardees will be offered: Amount of monthly stipend HK$25,100 for the entire normal study period Tuition Scholarship Waiving of tuition fees for the entire normal study period Conference and Research related travel allowance / Conference grant HK$12,600 per year for the entire normal study period Guaranteed hall accommodation 2 years   Eligibility Those who are seeking admission as new full-time PhD students, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities. Application Deadline: 1 December 2018 at Hong Kong Time 12:00 (GMT +8 hours) Application Procedures^ To make one initial application to the Research Grants Council (RGC) through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) Electronic System before the deadline; AND To submit a full application to PolyU via the Web Application System; AND Applicants are required to nominate two academic referees who can comment on their academic performances.   ^The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship application is also regarded as a formal application for PhD admission to the institution. For more information, please refer to PolyU HKPFS page.

Student Award Ceremony 2017/18

The School of Optometry held the Student Award Ceremony 2017/18 on 28 August 2018 to present 17 awards to undergraduate students in recognition of their outstanding academic performance and dedication to serving the community. At the ceremony, Prof. Chi-ho To, Head of School, congratulated all the awardees and thanked all the donors for their generous contributions. With their continuous support, students were able to take part in meaningful learning trips and services, which are beneficial to not only students themselves but the community at large. By the end of the award ceremony, two student representatives, Miss Nicole Chia-ching Chen and Mr Alan Ka-piu Cheung, Year 5 students in optometry shared their delightful experience respectively in Wenzhou Eye Hospital and the Queensland University of Technology in Australia this summer. Our warmest congratulations go to the scholarship and award recipients. More photos at Facebook.   Name of Award/ Scholarship Awardee Essilor Ophthalmic Optics and Dispensing Scholarship Miss CHIANG Ching-Hang FreshKon Award Miss LAW Ka-Yan Greg Wu Best Business Plan Award for Practice Management Miss CHIANG Ching-Hang Miss YU Siu-Fan PolyVision Scholarship for the Best Year 4 Student in BSc (Hons) in Optometry Miss KWOK Tsz-Yan Miss WONG Suei-Cheng Miss WONG Man-Kwan Queenie Yip Scholarship for Overseas Student Exchange Programme Miss WONG Man-Kwan Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile Scholarship for Overseas Student Exchange Programme Miss WONG Ka-Man Skyview Optical Travelling Scholarship for Overseas Student Exchange Programme Miss WONG Suei-Cheng Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Scholarship for Overseas Student Exchange Programme Mr CHEUNG Ka-Piu Miss KWOK Tsz-Yan Carl Zeiss Award for Young Researcher Miss MA Yuen-wuen, Jessica Miss YU Siu-Fan School of Optometry Scholarship for the Best Year 2 Student in BSc (Hons) in Optometry Mr LI Ho-Fai The Optometry (OPT) Centre Scholarship for the Best Year 3 Student in BSc (Hons) in Optometry Mr LAM Tsz-To The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists Best Community Project Award Mr CHAN Yat-Tung, Clifford Miss CHAN Yuet-Ling Miss LEUNG Chi-Ko Miss WONG Ka-Man Miss WONG Man-Kwan HOYA Scholarship for the Best Year 4 Student in BSc (Hons) in Optometry Mr CHEUNG Ka-Piu HOYA Excellence in Ophthalmic Optics and Dispensing Scholarship Miss SO Yee-Kiu The Hong Kong Society of Professional Optometrists Prize for the Best Year 1 Student in BSc (Hons) in Optometry Mr LIN Yan-Ki The Hong Kong Society of Professional Optometrists Best Final Year Student Optometrist Award Miss CHIANG Ching-Hang The Hong Kong Society of Professional Optometrists Academic Excellence Award for the Final Year Student in BSc (Hons) in Optometry Miss MA Yuen-wuen, Jessica

White Coat Ceremony 2018

The School of Optometry held the White Coat Ceremony 2018 on 28 August, in which 34 Year 4 students in optometry took the optometric oath to uphold professional ethics and conducts throughout their clinical placement and career. Under the witness of faculty members, mentors and peers, the Year 4 students were conferred white coats by their academic advisors, which signify their entrance into the eye care profession. In his opening remarks, Prof. George Woo, Emeritus Professor and Senior Advisor, reminded students that they should bear the responsibilities of profession and assuming their obligations by using the professional knowledge they have learned to serve the public after wearing the white coat. The White Coat Ceremony has been organized since 2015 which aims to highlight the symbolic importance of the white coat for a clinician. The fourth year optometry students will start their clinical training in future two years after the ceremony. More photos at Facebook.

RGC General Research Fund (GRF/ECS) 2018-2019

The School is pleased to announce that four faculty members as principal investigators have secured funding from the General Research Fund (GRF/ECS). Principal Investigators Co-Investigators Project Title Funding Awarded Dr Chea-su Kee Prof. Yong-ping Zheng (Department of Biomedical Engineering, PolyU, HK) Time course of ocular biometric changes during myopia and hyperopia development in the presence of astigmatism. HK$1,138,717 Dr Bin Lin Prof. Wen-biao Gan (New York University School of Medicine, USA) CD33 inhibition ameliorates chronic neuroinflammation and photoreceptor degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa HK$971,559 Dr Dennis Tse Prof. Samuel Miao-sin Wu (Baylor College of Ophthalmology, USA) Dr Feng Pan Dr Sze Wan Samantha Shan Retinal EGR1 cella in myopia development HK$931,138 Dr Feng Pan N.A. Functional roles of gap junctions and amacrine cells HK$1,199,868

SO 40th Anniversary Public Talk - Evidence-based Myopia Control

In celebration of SO's 40th Anniversary, Dr Vincent Ng will deliver a public talk on “Evidence-based Myopia Control” on 15 September 2018 on PolyU campus. It is common to find young adults with over 600 degrees of myopia in Hong Kong and the severity of myopia is escalating. In addition to the cost of myopic refractive correction, the myopia-related ocular complications, such as retinal degeneration, peripheral retinal breaks and glaucoma, have raised significant health concerns. The talk will introduce the history of myopia research, the latest development of myopia research, as well as its applications and effectiveness. Register Now: https://goo.gl/cT4URM (Programme in Cantonese) Bad Weather Arrangement If typhoon signal no. 8 or above, or a black rainstorm warning is hoisted at 6:30 am or expected to be hoisted before 10 am on the day, the talk will be postponed to 22 September 2018 (Saturday).

Webinar on Myopic Defocus Technologies

The award-winning myopic defocus technologies developed by PolyU School of Optometry are found effective in controlling myopic progression among children. The webinar delivered by Prof. Carly Lam and Prof. Chiho To on these groundbreaking technologies was successfully held on 5 August 2018. If you want to watch the webinar for one more time, you can access the full recorded presentation and the slides here (the session will close on 5 September 2018, 12:00 HKT). We have received many questions from the participants. Please find the frequently asked questions and answers here. If you have further questions regarding this topic, please send us an email. We will be pleased to discuss with you.

Summer Programme for Secondary School Students 2018

Around 100 students from 47 local secondary schools joined the Summer Programme organized by the School on 24-25 July 2018. Participants toured the Optometry Clinic, Optometry Research Clinic and other teaching and learning facilities in PolyU. They got more familiar with the structure and admission expectation of the optometry programme and received talks on eye diseases and common eye health myths. Around 30 participants also joined the extended hands-on activity of the Summer Programme on 27-28 July 2018. The participants received a series of vision screening trainings before they joined our optometry students to provide community vision screening service in a non-governmental social welfare organization.

Kwai Tsing Safe Community And Healthy City Association - Primary Health Service Campaign Launching Ceremony

Aiming at enhancing Kwai Tsing citizens’ understanding of primary healthcare services and fostering a healthy and harmonious community, the School of Optometry co-organized the “Primary Health Service Campaign Launching Ceremony” with Kwai Tsing Safe Community And Healthy City Association and the other six educational and social service organizations on 24 June 2018. Through the event, the School also promoted eye care awareness and the importance of regular eye examination to the public. Optometrists of our Integrative Community Health Centre at Lai King provided vision screening service and eye health education to over 50 participants. Besides, in collaboration with The Hong Kong Association of Private Practice Optometrists and The Hong Kong Society of Professional Optometrists, the School promoted eye health and the role of optometrists in the community through interactive booth and games.

PolyU Optometry Clinic Web Booking System Launched

Seeing the needs of a more convenient and flexible booking service, the PolyU Optometry Clinic has launched the Primary Eye Care Consultation Web Booking System. With the Web Booking System, you can now make your consultation appointment anytime, anywhere. Subject to the availability of timeslots, you can make 3 or more working days advance booking (https://ocwb.polyu.edu.hk/). For enquires, please contact 2766-5225 or email to optclinic.enquiry@polyu.edu.hk.

DIMS Spectacle Lens for Myopia Control Awarded the Championship in Geneva’s Inventions Expo

The Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) Spectacle Lens for Myopia Control co-developed by Prof. Carly Lam and Prof. Chi-ho To, School of Optometry and research collaborator Hoya Vision Care, snatched Grand Prize, Prize of the Legal Company 《Gorodissky & Partners》, Russia, and Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury at the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. The DIMS spectacle lens with multiple "micro-lens segments" projects myopic defocus and provides clear vision for the wearer simultaneously. It can slow down myopia progression in children by 60%, and 20% of the test subjects experienced no increase in myopia.