A medical group said on Wednesday that a survey of around 3,000 people demonstrated a lack of awareness among Hong Kong people of the need to protect their eyes, especially against sunlight.

Speaking on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme, Dr Emmy Li, president of the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society said its joint study with the charity Orbis showed more than 80 percent of respondents experienced light sensitivity and reduced vision at night.

About half of the people questioned were over the age of 50, and Li told RTHK's Ben Tse that older people often understood the dangers of ultraviolet light, or UV, to the skin, but not to the eyes.

"Not many people are aware of the fact that UV exposure actually increases the incidence of eye diseases, like pterygium, cataracts or macular degeneration, so I think this is a lack of awareness," she said.

"Also some people, especially the elderly, think that wearing sunglasses is something to be done by celebrities, not by them, so for the elderly individuals there are some hurdles."

She also said people should seek out sunglasses labelled UV 400 or 100 percent UV protection, rather than only considering how the shade look.

Li said eye degeneration was most commonly observed in people aged over 50, so they should take regular eye checks.