Bulletin No. 2, 2014

42   Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2014 Ortho-K Lens Can Cause Microbial Keratitis in Children T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has investigated cases in the past 10 years in which patients aged 18 or below were diagnosed with microbial keratitis, a corneal disease that can result in blindness. Results indicated that about 40% of the cases were directly related to the use of Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) lens—corneal reshaping lenses that are used to control myopia—reflecting the potential risk of using such lenses. Dr. Alvin L. Young (right), clinical associate professor (honorary) in the department, pointed out that wearing Ortho-K lens might cause abrasions on the corneal epithelial layer, thus weakening the cornea. Bacterial infection in the area of abrasion will occur if proper cleaning and hygiene procedures are not adhered to when using Ortho-K lens. Delayed treatment will lead to irreversible corneal scarring, endophthalmitis, or corneal perforation, resulting in devastating long-term effects. Effectiveness of TEA for Treating Liver Cancer Revealed A research led by Prof. Simon Yu, professor of the Department of Imaging and Inter ventional Radiology and Director of Vascular & I n t e r v e n t i o n a l R a d i o l o g y F o un d a t i o n Cl i n i c a l S c i e n c e Centre, revealed that, compared with conventional Transarterial c h emo emb o l i z a t i o n ( TACE ) , the new Transarterial Ethanol Ablation (TEA) is more effective in killing cancer cells and has a 70% chance of completely destroying the tumour. This pioneering research was presented with the Best Paper Award in the Congress of Interventional Oncology in 2013 and published in an international medical journal, Radiology , in 2014. Professor Yu has started his research on the use of TEA for treating liver cancer since 2001. According to his research, treatment-related mortality was 0%. The median overall survival rate of patients after treatment was 26 months, much longer than the six months median overall survival in patients without treatment. To compare the safety and effectiveness of TEA versus TACE, the research team conducted a randomized controlled trial from 2007 to 2012, TEA was found to be more effective in completely eradicating tumour cells within the tumour, compared with TACE. Research