The majority of senior citizens in Hong Kong do not have the right knowledge about eye care and have done little to protect their eyes, according to the results of a study released yesterday, ahead of the World Sight Day today.

This year's theme of the World Sight Day is "eyes on the future and fighting vision impairment of the elderly".

In July this year, the School of Optometry of the Polytechnic University interviewed 384 people aged 60 or above to find out their awareness and knowledge about eye care.

Only 22 percent of the interviewed had normal eyesight. Seventy-four percent of the rest of the interviewees could correct their eyesight by wearing glasses, clinical optometrist Rita Sum said yesterday.

However, 43 percent said they had not received any eye checks ever.

Meanwhile, among those who had unsatisfactory eyesight, 52 percent had never worn or were not wearing proper eye glasses for looking at things within short distances, and 73 percent had never worn or were not wearing eye glasses for looking at things far away. This showed that the elderly lacked the right knowledge about eye care, she said.

Through eye examinations, it was found that 90 percent of the elderly suffered from cataract, and the conditions of 20 percent of them were considered serious.

As theywait for operation, Hong Kong Optometric Association president Joseph Fung advised them to wear glasses of appropriate strengths to improve their eyesight because they might have to wait for up to three years before they could receive treatment at public clinics.

He noted the free medical vouchers the government provides to the elderly do not cover eye care. He asked the government to include eye care for the benefit of the elderly.

Optometrists also suggested the government educate the public about the importance of having regular eye examinations.

(HK Edition 10/09/2008 page1)