Page 13 - Sphere No.7 (Oct 2002)

S PHERE
11
rated with the Chinese University of
Hong Kong to open an eye centre (see
story below) .
“Our world is sustained by the indi-
viduals in it,” Mr Li told graduates, “the
acts we perform, the decisions we take,
will make a difference in this world that
we share.”
This vision is perhaps best exempli-
fied by Mr Li himself. Shantou
University has taken great strides in two
decades – one man’s “lonely passion”, as
it was called, has become a gateway to
opportunity for thousands.
“When we see our alma mater, we
see Li Ka-shing, a fellow from our vil-
lage, who is giving something back to
his ancestral home,” says Ma Enxi, who
met Mr Li in 1994.“To us, this exempli-
fies the old Chinese saying: “We should
never forget our past.’”
That may be so, but Mr Li’s eyes also
seem firmly fixed on the future.
Mr Li started making donations in 1991
to help people suffering from eye diseases,
including a contribution of 100 million
yuan to the China Disabled Persons’
Federation, which has helped more than a
million cataract patients.
He first proposed building a specialist
eye centre in Chaozho-Shantou in 1998
to provide a “role model” for the treat-
ment and care of eye diseases in the South
China region.
While Retinal Vein Catheterisation
Operations will be the key services devel-
oped by the Eye Center, other tasks
include the prevention and treatment of
various eye diseases, training of medical
students and eye specialists, conducting
ophthalmology research, and the establish-
ment of an eye bank to promote cornea
donations and transplants.
At present there are about nine million
cases of visual impairment in China, and
four million people suffer from cataracts.
At the opening ceremony of the Eye
Centre, Mr Li encouraged people in the
area to overcome traditional reluctance
and donate their corneas.
“The eye is a window to the soul,” he
said. “I think blindness is the most terrible
of all disabilities. To be able to help those
patients waiting in darkness to see light
again and thus lead a new life is really the
most meaningful thing to do in the world.”