A recent study involving over 330,000 participants has discovered that five genetic variants, in combination with university-level education, are linked to the onset of myopia, or short-sightedness. This finding could help identify children at a higher risk of developing the condition, allowing for early interventions such as spending more time outdoors.
Myopia is a common condition that affects a person’s ability to see distant objects clearly. Researchers from the University of Bristol, led by Rosie Clark, conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on people with European ancestry to better understand the interaction between genetics and lifestyle factors in influencing myopia’s onset. The study identified 19 genetic variants linked to different severities of myopia when interacting with certain environmental factors or other genes.
The researchers were particularly interested in the potential three-way link between genetic variants, education level, and myopia. Many studies have shown a connection between education and myopia, as more time in education is usually linked to more time spent indoors. Spending time outdoors frequently may help prevent myopia or stop it from worsening. The results of the study suggest that five of the 19 genetic variants are affected by education level and are collectively linked to myopia.
Two of these variants were previously identified in a study examining myopia in people of East Asian ancestry. Some of the five variants are linked to the visual system, but their exact role in causing myopia remains unclear. The findings may not apply to people of non-European descent, as myopia rates differ significantly between populations, with 30% of children in the West and 80% of children in East Asia developing the condition.
Identifying these genetic variants could eventually help researchers determine a child’s myopia risk and implement preventive measures, such as outdoor learning or regular breaks for outdoor time during the school day. However, Ian Morgan from the Australian National University in Canberra remains uncertain about the practical applications of this research, stating that it is not yet clear whether genetic analysis will lead to useful interventions for controlling myopia.
The study was published in PLoS Genetics.