Focusing on issues affecting civil society, we'll hear from representatives of NGOs, associations, statutory bodies, and non-profit groups.
Good morning, thanks for having this morning. At Orbis, we have a simple belief: protecting vision isn’t just a medical issue; it’s a community responsibility. Every one of us has a part to play in helping others keep sight safe. Today, I’d like to tell you a story - the story of Hong Kong’s aging eyes, and why half of our population may soon face serious vision challenges.
When you think of Hong Kong, what comes to mind? Neon lights, the serene views, the dense forest of skyscrapers. We are a city that sees the world in colour and in movement. But behind that beauty, a silent crisis has been developing among our older population.
In late 2025, Orbis collaborated with the Department of Ophthalmology at HKUMed to release results from the largest community glaucoma-screening project ever done in Hong Kong. The results were a wake-up call, not just for everyone over 50, but for everyone who loves someone over 50.
As we age, our bodies begin to change - gently, and gradually. But within our eyes, something more dangerous starts to happen: the risk of vision-threatening diseases rises sharply after 50.
The three biggest culprits here in Hong Kong are: cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Cataracts are like looking through a frosted dirty window. The world turns cloudy and dim. Thankfully, surgery can restore clear sight.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) attacks your central vision. It’s what you use to read, drive, or recognize a loved one’s face. It may not cause total blindness, but it steals your quality of life.
And then, there’s glaucoma, the silent thief of sight. It creeps in slowly, quietly damaging the optic nerve - the delicate cable that connects the eye to the brain. There’s no pain. No early symptoms. You don’t even know it’s happening… until a quarter of your vision is already gone.
Once those nerve fibers die, they’re gone forever. We can’t bring them back. All we can do is stop more from dying, curb it from getting worse, stop one from becoming blind. For years, we suspected glaucoma was widespread in Hong Kong. But we didn’t know how widespread or common it was - until now.
Over two years, Orbis and HKUMed conducted a project we called Vision Matters. We went into public housing estates, from Southern District, Kwun Tong and Taipo etc, inviting residents aged 50 and above for free, comprehensive eye exams. More than 5,800 people across our city took part.
The results were staggering. We found optic-nerve degeneration in 11.6 percent of participants, and confirmed glaucoma in 6.9 percent of them. For context, that’s higher than previous estimates across the entire Chinese population.
So, what’s going on? Is Hong Kong somehow “sicker”? Not necessarily. In truth, the difference lies in the technology. We were only able to identify these occurrences because of the technology we used. Our study used an AI-powered tool called ROTA to identify at-risk patients. Now, a traditional scan can tell you if your optic nerve - imagine a rope - is getting thinner. But ROTA goes deeper. It shows whether the threads within that rope are beginning to fray. This means it can catch glaucoma damage far earlier, often before patients notice a single symptom.
Currently, if referred to a specialist out-patient clinic, the wait time can be as long as 117 weeks. That is over two years. For glaucoma, two years of waiting means two years of irreversible vision damage.
Here’s how AI integration changes a lot of everything. Because when a doctor spots even the smallest hint of trouble, AI can help flag high-risk patients faster, triage them sooner, push them to the front of the list and make sure they see a specialist in time.
It won’t erase the two-year waiting list overnight, but it could save sight before it’s too late.
Our AI-powered diagnostic system will soon be deployed in Hong Kong West and Kowloon East clusters. And that’s what Orbis does best: bridging innovation and humanity. Around the world, our team ensures that innovation travels faster than distance. The fight against blindness is no longer just about scalpels and predictions. It’s about data and predictions. It’s about catching the thief before it steals your sight.
Through Cybersight AI, a groundbreaking Orbis diagnostic platform, specialist-level eye screening can be “air-dropped” into even the most remote villages. Imagine this: a local nurse in a rural community takes a photo of a patient’s retina. Within seconds, the AI detects early signs of blinding diseases and alerts doctors miles away. That speed and that precision can be the difference between permanent vision loss and a lifetime of sight.
But here’s the truth: technology alone isn’t the hero.
People are. AI is just a tool - one that amplifies the reach of doctors and empowers local health workers. It filters out routine cases, so specialists can focus on the most urgent, life-changing ones.
Yet, even the smartest technology can’t succeed without trust. In Ethiopia, for example, Orbis trains local women as community eye-care workers - women their neighbours already know and trust. In Vietnam, we adapt our workflow to match local customs and patient habits, because technology must fit people, not the other way around.
And through every project, from Hong Kong’s urban neighbourhoods to the world’s most remote corners, one message shines through:
Technology guards vision; trust connects communities.
Together, they build a bridge - from innovation to impact, from city to village, from research to real lives. And that bridge is how Orbis makes sure no one, anywhere in the world, is left in the dark.
We live in a city of dazzling lights. Let's make sure we can all see them, clearly and safely, for years to come.
Good morning everyone. Recently, I was referred to a case involving an 8-year-old girl whose father had tragically passed away in an industrial accident. Her mother was concerned about her daughter’s excessive internet use, spending over five hours per night watching Chinese dramas. Her exam result was poor and stopped talking to her mother.
When I first met her, she kept silent, avoiding eye contact and mumbling as if she felt guilty. Gradually as we built mutual trust, she began sharing dramas she watched with me, which mostly focused on family topics. These dramas were actually helping her to cope with the loss of her father and the absence of the father and daughter relationship.
Expressive art therapy was applied to her case. By drawing and painting, she found ways to express her emotions and dealt with the memories she wished she could have shared with her father. She even drew herself holding hands with her father at a park, a memory she cherished deeply. As she released her repressed grief, she became less rely on the internet and began developing healthier coping mechanisms.
While tools like time limits and internet restrictions help manage screen time, they are addressing behaviours but not the root cause. The root causes, such as unresolved grief or emotional struggles, must be identified and addressed. For this girl, her internet use was a way to cope with shattering loss.
This case indeed reflects a broader issue in Hong Kong. A recent study on Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) revealed that 11.8% of around 4,300 students surveyed showed signs of IGD, with 27.7% spending four or more hours daily on online games. Excessive internet use can lead to negative consequences such as poor eyesight, abnormal bone development, obesity, memory loss, and difficulty concentrating. However, one of the most alarming effects is the strain it placed on family relationships, which often leads to conflicts and communication breakdowns.
Parents often worry about their children’s gaming habits, citing deterioration in academic performance, loss of interest in hobbies, and an inability to disconnect from their devices, even during meals. While "time-limiting" tools and device monitoring help regulate behaviour, these solutions cannot address the deeper needs driving excessive gaming. According to Glasser’s theory, all humans have five basic needs which are survival, power, love and belonging, freedom, and fun. For Hong Kong students, academic success or sports performance often fulfills the need for power and satisfaction. However, the city's competitive and high-pressure studying environment make it difficult for students to meet these needs. As a result, they would rather turn to video games, where effort is rewarded with rankings, badges, and achievements, providing a sense of power and satisfaction.
Furthermore, gaming offers a sense of belonging. Many students team up with classmates or online friends to play games, forming communities where they feel accepted and included. These emotional needs—such as love, belonging, and accomplishment—are often missing in the real life, thus they turn to gaming in order to escape from the real life.
Before addressing gaming addiction, it is crucial to understand the underlying needs and tackle the root causes. Family plays a key role in the intervening process. Establishing clear rules and boundaries early on, negotiating screen time, and ensuring children balance their time between studying, resting, and family interactions are essential steps. Encouraging diverse interests like sports, arts, and social activities can also help students build a support system and reduce their reliance on gaming. Fostering open communication in the family, where children feel that their feeling is being heard and understood, is of equal importance.
Schools can also contribute by boosting awareness and understanding of online gaming addiction. Educational programs on internet safety and gaming risks can equip students with knowledge and self-management skills to prevent addiction.
While the challenges of managing excessive internet use and gaming addiction may seem daunting, they are not unconquerable. By addressing the emotional and developmental needs behind these behaviours, families, schools, and the community can work together to help children build a healthier habit. These efforts take time, patience, and understanding, but they pave ways to a brighter future where children feel supported, balanced, and emotionally fulfilled.
Our service, “Net” Education and Counselling Service of Hong Kong Family Welfare Society provides a WhatsApp messaging and hotline for enquiring any concerns like Internet addiction, online dating and so on, feel free to contact us at 5592 7474.
