At least two mainland eye doctors are taken onboard to be trained in the latest surgical techniques.

Teen Volunteer: James Chan, 17, is a student at St Stephen's College. He volunteered for Lifeline Express during his summer holidays last year and says it was one of the most memorable experiences of his life.

'One year ago, I went to visit cataract victims in rural mainland villages. I spent time with children who were blinded by cataracts.

There were so many memorable events during the trip that I can't recount them all, but seeing the villages was a real eye-opener. You would never see villages like these in Hong Kong. They were very old and basic, but the children who lived there were very happy.

They were adorable and it didn't matter to them that they didn't have much. They were easy to please and always wore smiles on their faces, despite being blind.

From a medical perspective, the technology used to treat patients in rural parts of China is lagging. Hong Kong has much more advanced medical equipment for curing cataracts. The villagers depend on their sight for their livelihood.

I think Lifeline Express is a wonderful organisation because it gives Hong Kong people a chance to help their fellow Chinese in the mainland and it also allows us to see how lucky we are. Seeing how the villagers lived was a rare and valuable opportunity.

I realised that we must try our best to help them because after all, we are all Chinese. In Hong Kong, young people are very materialistic and complain about the most simple things.

But if you see how these people live, you will realise how lucky we are. I think it is all very unfair.

I haven't had much contact with the blind outside of my trip with Lifeline Express, but it made me see how lucky we are.'