INTRODUCTION: The Hong Kong Vision Study (HKVS) was a pilot study to collect data on the prevalence of eye diseases and risk factors in Hong Kong using methodology comparable to that developed in America and Australia. AIM: The main goal was: to evaluate the application of the methodology in a different culture and language; and to determine the prevalence and risk factors of eye diseases in order to design a larger study of an ethnic Chinese population. METHOD: This study was patterned after the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project using the Chinese language in data collection and examinations. CONCLUSION: Well-designed methodology is transferable to different cultures, languages and continents. Use of similar methodology will enable better comparisons and analyses to be made from population-based data.
INTRODUCTION: The Hong Kong Vision Study (HKVS) was a pilot study to collect data on the prevalence of eye diseases and risk factors in Hong Kong using methodology comparable to that developed in America and Australia. AIM: The main goal was: to evaluate the application of the methodology in a different culture and language; and to determine the prevalence and risk factors of eye diseases in order to design a larger study of an ethnic Chinese population. METHOD: This study was patterned after the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project using the Chinese language in data collection and examinations. CONCLUSION: Well-designed methodology is transferable to different cultures, languages and continents. Use of similar methodology will enable better comparisons and analyses to be made from population-based data.