簡介
Listen to #Hashtag Hong Kong every Sunday morning at 8.15
Focussing on issues affecting civil society, we'll hear from representatives of NGOs, associations, statutory bodies, and non-profit groups.
(Sundays 8.15am - 8.25am)
最新
Dr. Angie Fong - specialist in Ophthalmology, and Council Member of The Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society
Eye health is a crucial aspect of a person’s overall well-being, yet it is often overlooked until serious problems arise. In Hong Kong, approximately 3% of the population, or around 190,000 people, are visually impaired. This proportion rises significantly with age. For adults over 40, up to 15% experience visual disability in one eye, and about 5% suffer from disability in both eyes.
The leading cause of visual disability is cataract, followed by age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. As degenerative diseases, their prevalence is expected to rise with Hong Kong's aging population. Consequently, the burden of care and the associated societal costs for the visually impaired will also increase. Cataracts, which cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy, can significantly affect one's quality of life by blurring vision and making daily activities challenging. Similarly, age-related macular degeneration leads to loss of central vision, making it difficult to read or recognize faces. Glaucoma, often known as the "silent thief of sight," can gradually cause peripheral visual loss with little warning, and is only detected at a very late stage when symptoms do arise. Therefore, early detection and timely management of these diseases are crucial before irreversible visual loss occurs.
Supporting initiatives that promote a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet rich in eye-protective nutrients, regular physical activity, and adequate protection against UV radiation, can help prevent or delay the onset of these conditions. Public awareness campaigns should educate the public to recognize the early signs of these degenerative diseases and to seek medical attention promptly when they occur.
Nowadays, advanced technologies have enabled smaller gauge surgeries for cataract and glaucoma with smaller wounds and faster recovery time. For age related macular degeneration there are more effective intravitreal medicines with longer duration of action. Improving accessibility to healthcare with the use of digital technologies such as telemedicine and artificial intelligence may help to reduce the overall societal impact of these diseases.
For the younger generation, one concerning trend is the epidemic rise in myopia, or short-sightedness. The intense academic environment and prolonged screen time, especially during COVID-19, have significantly contributed to this issue. Research indicates that around 80% of secondary school students in Hong Kong are myopic, and this number continues to grow. High myopia can lead to serious future eye problems like retinal detachments, macular problems, and glaucoma. These conditions not only affect vision but can also lead to more severe complications if left untreated. Regular eye screenings and incorporating sufficient outdoor time into school routines are essential steps to tackle this problem. Encouraging outdoor activities helps in reducing the progression of myopia, as natural light and the ability to focus on distant objects give the eyes much-needed relief.
The Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society was established to maintain and enhance the quality of eye care in Hong Kong, as well as to foster bonds between eye care professionals serving the public. We have just celebrated our 70th anniversary last year. Our motto, 攜手同心，共締光明, reflects our commitment to unity and improving vision. We address eye health challenges through various initiatives, including service through community outreach programs, public talks, and collaborations with schools and NGOs to promote eye health education. We play a pivotal role in advocating for better eye care policies and to raise public awareness about common eye conditions. Our community outreach efforts include free eye screening programs and interactive sessions with ophthalmologists to answer public queries.
We encourage everyone to take proactive steps in maintaining their eye health, like avoiding excessive screen time without breaks, reading in poor lighting or very near conditions. Simple measures like taking a break by looking at distant objects every 20 minutes or so can help reduce eye strain. Having regular eye examinations and to seek timely attention by ophthalmologists when there are visual symptoms are also crucial to maintaining good eye health.
In closing, I would like to dedicate a song to our listeners: Jimmy Cliff’s version of "I Can See Clearly Now." I hope it resonates with you, conveying a message of vision and hope, and reminding us to care for our vision and cherish the beauty around us.
重溫
Nanki Luthra, Project Manager of the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre, The Zubin Foundation
Good morning everyone. The Zubin Foundation is an integrated service provider for the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. We are a registered charity that seeks to improve the lives of ethnic minorities.
In 2019, we started a pilot project to develop native language counselling for low-income ethnic minorities by qualified counsellors. In 2024, the project became an initiative of the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong government but continued to be operated by The Zubin Foundation.
The Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre has now expanded to all non-Chinese Hong Kong residents who are 18 years of age and above offering free one-to-one counselling services in English, Hindi, Urdu and Nepali. In the last 5 years, over 400 people have received the counselling support from our centre. Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Filipino are currently the largest ethnic groups that come for counselling.
Over 60% of our clients score severe or extremely severe in one of the scales of depression, anxiety and stress when they first approached us for counselling. Many of them have suffered from mental health issues for years but have not talked to anyone about their issues before. There is a need to raise the awareness of mental health in the ethnic minorities’ community and address some barriers they face as seeking mental health support.
In our outreach work, we see many individuals have accepted their sadness, anxiety and excessive stress as a normal part of their lives. Often times, unlike dealing with their physical health symptoms, they do not see a need to address them even if they have been suffering for a long time.
Usually even if they become aware that they need help, many are concerned about the stigma surrounding mental health in the community; worrying that people will perceive their mental health issues as being crazy, violent or weak.
Sometimes ethnic minorities are concerned that their personal issues will become known to others in their community, resulting in shame, loss of honour or loss of ‘face’ not only to themselves but also to their families, which further hinders them from seeking support.
Language and cultures are other barriers for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities in seeking help for their mental health. Many of the mental health practitioners in Hong Kong are ethnically Chinese and do not speak the native languages of the ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong.
This can create challenges for mental health practitioners to be able to fully understand the situation of the clients and the possible underlying cause. For example, many go to the doctor stating they are experiencing fatigue, not sleeping well, getting headaches or having stomach ache and not realizing that there may be underlying mental health causes or issues. The practitioner may therefore focus on treating these physical causes without being fully aware of the person’s situation.
While use of translators can help address the language barriers, some ethnic minorities may be concerned to speak about their personal issues in front of the translators as they can be from the same community.
The most common presenting symptoms we find from our clients at the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre are anxiety, depression, stress, self-harm tendencies, low self-esteem and anger management.
But what causes these issues? Triggers include family conflicts especially intergenerational conflicts such as differences in values between traditional parents and children who are born and brought up in Hong Kong. Other factors include differential treatment between boys and girls, lack of communication or even forced marriage. The differences can create conflicts like the way the children should dress, compliance to religious practices, values towards education and work and views on marriage.
We also see many clients coming in marital conflicts. This is due to power imbalances, as many cultures are still patriarchal. The responsibility of the children and household falls on the mother while providing financially falls on the father, and he is also the main decision maker. Sometimes conflicts arise because of different views of household finance and raising children. The responsibilities of managing large families can also be a contributing factor towards mental health concerns. Sometimes these conflicts can get more evolved and lead to domestic violence.
Also notably being a minority in Hong Kong, we do see clients struggling with discrimination at work, their studies or even their daily lives.
We may all be facing different challenges in lives. For those who have been suffering low mood or issues of managing their emotions for a prolonged period of time, we encourage you to consider talking to a professional. It provides you with a safe space for you to talk about your issues, understand yourself and the situation bothering you, and it helps you think about ways to cope with your issues and manage them better.
If you are a non-Chinese, Hong Kong resident, 18 years of age or above, comfortable with speaking English, Hindi, Urdu or Nepali and would like to consider counselling, call or WhatsApp us at 96823100 or visit our website at emwbc.zubinfoundation.org to find out more about our service.
This morning I would like to dedicate a song called “Love You Zindagi”, which is a Hindi language song and is sung by Amit Trivedi, Jasleen Royal and Kausar Munir. “Love you Zindagi” translates to love you life. It is a song that talks about ups and downs in life and how to embrace it with a smile because you know that tough times don’t last forever and there is always a way out. Also this song is from a movie where the main character seeks counselling and understands that her childhood’s trauma has led to many decisions that she is leading in her current life.
