Chinese University endorses use of a safe pen-like tester to detect the disease
Eye specialists have recommended that people at risk of glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in Hong Kong, be given a self-testing device to detect the onset of the condition.
The pen-like object, which measures pressure levels in the eyeball, was proclaimed accurate, safe and generally acceptable to patients after tests by Chinese University's department of ophthalmology and visual sciences.
Glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve at the back of the eye is slowly destroyed. It is one of the leading causes of blindness and vision loss, affecting up to 90 million people worldwide.
People aged over 40 with a family history of glaucoma or suffering from diabetes are considered to be at high risk of the disease, which afflicts an estimated 100,000 people, or 3 per cent of the over-40s.
Chinese people are more likely to suffer from an acute form of glaucoma and turn blind than any other race.