Ever heard of the word myopia? If you aren’t able to read this text from a distance, chances are you have it. The curse of nearsightedness is currently plaguing humans as a whole. In the past 30 years, cases of myopia in children have risen from 25% to 44%. In some parts of the world the numbers have hit 80%.
Until recently, the cause of myopia was widely thought to be environmental factors like profusely reading or using cell phones. So then why would this ever pertain to genetics you might ask? Recent discoveries in this field of study show that only 30% of the cause of myopia is environmental factors leaving a 70% contribution from the genetics of an individual. Those carrying a variant of the gene APLP2 are five times more likely to develop myopia if they profusely read or use cell phones. (Other technology also counts) Educating parents seems to be the only way to see these numbers drop in the future. Dr. Tkatchenko was quoted saying, “the critical period for myopia development is during elementary and middle school, so when kids are in school, make sure they also spend at least two hours outdoors each day.”
Anyone wanting a more in depth explanation of this phenomenon can watch this video!
