On Saturday, 20 July, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS), hosted its inaugural ″The CUHK-GS Charity Foundation Hong Kong Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study″. This important initiative is led by our Associate Professor Dr Mårten E BRELÉN, with generous support from the GS Charity Foundation. Its aim is to raise awareness of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and provide free screening services to the public.
Special thanks also go to the pharmaceutic companies and industry partners, who provided advanced equipment such as OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) devices and retinal cameras for assessing macula. The screening program could not have been done without the active participation from doctors affiliated with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH). These medical professionals not only conducted screenings but also offered detailed explanations of the scan results to the attendees.
The day commenced with an informative presentation by Dr Gary KY YU, who covered essential aspects of AMD, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and available treatment options. This session highlighted the importance of early detection and management of AMD. Following the presentation, screenings were conducted for 87 participants. Each participant underwent a comprehensive macular scan to identify any signs of macular disease. Out of the 87 participants, 20 were found to have macular changes. These individuals were advised to return for further investigation and monitoring at one of our research clinics. Early detection in these cases can significantly improve the management and outcome of AMD, highlighting the importance of such community health initiatives.
This event marks the start of our initiative to bring valuable education and screening services to the local community. Our goal is to continue providing these critical resources to help combat the impact of age-related macular degeneration.
We extend our gratitude to the GS Charity Foundation for their generous support, as well as to pharmaceutic companies and partners from the industry for their contributions. We also thank the medical professionals from the CUHK and the PWH for their dedicated service.
Future upcoming events and programs will be announced on our department′s website.
