Dear Friends of WEO,

Greetings from Hong Kong!It is with great pleasure to update you on the exciting activities of WEO in 2008.

We are proud that two “WEO Tours of Vision” were carried out the year of 2008.The first “Tour of Vision” took place on 24 March 2008 at Dalin Town in Shuangliu County, Sichuan, during which more than 200 free eye examinations and 40 free operations for the poor were carried out.The second Tour is described below.

In June 2008, Ms. Xu Fei was selected as the first recipient of the WEO Torsten Wiesel Young Investigator Award to work in Dr. Helen Sui’s laboratory and PUMC in Beijing.Armed with an M.D. from West China University of Medical Sciences, MPH from Shanghai Medical University, PhD from Peking Union Medical College, and also Fellow of the Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Dr. Sui has broad experience in research on genetic ocular diseases.This award should help her and Ms. Xu Fei in their pursuit of these important disorders.

In relation to the calamity resulted from the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008, WEO attempted to help ease the suffering in two small ways.First, selected members of the medical staff at our WEO Eye Centres in Chengdu and Xian were arranged to go to the disaster areas to assist in the rescue and medical operations.Second, it was discovered that the hospitals and disaster areas in Sichuan were very short on antiseptic solutions (like Dettol).Immediately, an order of 4 metric tons of concentrated antiseptic solution (10,000 bottles of 400 c.c. each, each liter can disinfect 500 liter of water) was shipped directly to West China Hospital in Chengdu, the main hospital in Sichuan and site of WEO’s Chengdu Eye Centre and Torsten Wiesel Research Institute, to be used locally and sent to the frontiers.A total of two shipments of these antiseptic solutions were made and through Red Cross distribution, about 100 medical tents were shipped to the earthquake area.

We are also pleased to report that on 30 July, 2008, WEO opened its 5th eye centre in China.This centre is located in Haikou, Hainan Province and is entitled “WEO Hainan People’s Hospital Fu Hefan Eye Centre”, in honor of the father of my dear friends Mr. Fu Szeshing and Fu Szeyin.In 2007, Mr. Fu expressed that he wish to contribute to helping the poor people in Hainan, and suggested that he donate an eye centre for the poor.The establishment of this centre is made possible in large part by a generous donation of HK$1.5 million from Mr. Fu Szeshing and RMB1 million from Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital.The opening of this centre was attended by Mr. Lin Fanglue, Vice Governor of Hainan Province, Dr. Bai Zhiqing, Chief of Public Health Bureau of Hainan Province, Dr. Wang Yutian, President of Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital, Messrs. Fu, myself and many honored guests.

According to Hainan health officials, the Province has a population of approximately 8 million people, with hundreds of thousands of poor people with visual disorders, including about 25,000 cataract patients.We hope that this Centre, which will serve as WEO’s hub in Hainan, will not only treat eye diseases, but also help to train eye specialists as well as publicize to the government and people of Hainan the importance and methods of healthy eye care.

We are also pleased to report that the “WEO Torsten Wiesel Primate Eye Research Centre” was established in May 2008 and Dr. Wiesel personally officiated the Opening Ceremony on 27 October 2008.Currently, the major research programs involve medical and pharmaceutical interventions on glaucoma.In the near future, we hope that significant results can be achieved to the benefit of all mankind.

The second “Tour of Vision” took place at Dujiangyan in the Sichuan earthquake area on 3 December 2008 whereby more than 150 patients were inspected and treated.An international delegation paid visit to the “WEO Sichuan University Huaxi Hospital Dr. Lee Shau Kee Eye Centre” in Chengdu on 2-4 December 2008 and witnessed this exciting sight-saving program.Acting as Chief Delegate, I led the delegates to receive reports from the WEO Sichuan University Huaxi Hospital Dr. Lee Shau Kee Eye Centre, the Torsten Wiesel Research Institute at WEO West China Medical Centre, and the “WEO Torsten Wiesel Primate Eye Research Centre”.The delegates included:

As you know, WEO has established a series of art and culture events aimed at enhancing the public’s awareness on the importance of good eye-sight and eye-care, and providing funding for WEO’s operations.In this respect, “Bliss of Vision XI” Art Exhibition was carried out 22-31 August 2008 at Times Square, Causeway Bay Hong Kong and “Bliss of Vision XII” Art Exhibition was carried out on 15 November 2008 to 2 January 2009 at Central Plaza, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

On behalf of the WEO, we would like to thank all those who have contributed towards the success of WEO for the past year.Our heartiest thanks to many volunteers including Mr. Fu Szeshing, Ms. Winnie Fok, Mr. Benjamin Lo, Mr. Mounir Guen, Mr. Franco Lin, Mr. Richard Sheng, Mr. Colin Lam, Mr. Stephen Ng, Mr. Sunny Yeung, Mr. Daryl Ng, and Mr. Michael Burke.

In the past year, WEO received from personal and corporates generous donations.We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. of China, EQT Partners AB, MVision Private Equity Advisors, Global Beauty Management Ltd., Lee Shau Kee Foundation, Dr. Dominic International, LifeTech Group, Times Square Ltd., Sino Land Co. Ltd., The Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong and the China Construction Bank (Asia).

Many WEO volunteers contributed selfless efforts towards the success of WEO and we would also like to take this opportunity to thank them personally for their unfailing support to WEO.They include Dr. Shi Ying-kang, Ms. Wu Jingping, Dr. Torsten Wiesel and Ms. Agnes Chung.

To the WEO Directors, International Advisors, Vision Ambassadors and Executive Members globally, in Hong Kong and China, our sincere thanks to your hard work in realizing the vision and mission of WEO.

While entering its 10th anniversary, WEO plans to strive for continuous success in the year 2009 and look forward very much to working closely with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Standard Chartered Bank in UK, Hong Kong and China, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Ping An Insurance Group on significant sight-saving programs.

I take this opportunity to wish you a joyous, healthy and prosperous year of the Ox!

All the best,
Dominic LAM Man-kit
4 March 2009

P.S.On 21 February, 2009, WEO established its 6th eye centre, named “WEO Yangdong People’s Hospital Dr. Lee Shau Kee Eye Centre” in Yangjiang City of Guangdong Province.In addition to the WEO delegation from Hong Kong, Professor Cai Dong-qian, WEO China Director from Beijing, and Professor Wu Xiang-lian, Director of WEO Heilongjiang Dr. Lee Shau Kee Eye Centre, came to join the Opening Ceremony which was attended by many local Government and Health Bureau representatives including Mr. Chen Zhi-yue, Vice Mayor of Yangjiang City, Mr. Jiang Miao, Chief of Health Bureau of Yangjiang City, Ms. Guan Xuan, Vice Mayor of Yangdong County and also Chairlady of Yangdong County Red Cross, Mr. Zhang Hua An, Chief of Health Bureau of Yangdong County, Mr. Lin Fen He, Chief of Civic Affairs Bureau in Yangdong County, and Mr. Tan He Gui, Chairman of Disabled Persons Federation in Yangdong County and of course, Dr. Hong Jia-wen, President of Yangdong People’s Hospital.This memorable occasion was reported and recorded by Mr. Michael Burke of BBC from U.K. and Mr. Cheng Bo-wei from the News Department of Yangdong Television.A video of which should be available on my Face-Book and YouTube soon (under DOMINIC LAM MAN KIT).