Computer games and summer birthday related to increased risk of myopia in children

According to a new study by researchers at the King's School of Life Science Course, the time spent playing computer games and being born in the summer is associated with an increased risk of developing short or near vision (myopia ) in childhood.

Myopia is a refractive errorwhich means the eye can not focus the light properly. The result is that close objects appear clear but distant objects are blurry. It can be corrected with the help of eyeglasses, laser surgery or contact lenses, but this condition is related to visual impairment and loss of vision later in life . It is also increasingly widespread: it is estimated that 4.8 billion people worldwide in 2050, against 1.9 billion in 2010.

Dr. Katie Williams, Clinical Research Investigator in Ophthalmology and lead author of the study, said:

& # 39;Although genetics is thought to play a role, we do not believe that they alone can explain why the number of people with myopia increases so rapidly. The more we explore the life cycle of health, the more important non-genetic factors are. Given the rapid development of the eyes in early childhood, we wanted to understand whether variations in the lifestyle of children during this critical period could have an effect. "

The team studied 1,991 twins all born between 1994 and 1996 in the UK. Opticians provided recordings of whether participants were nearsighted or not, and the researchers analyzed behavioral, demographic, and educational factors ranging in age from two to sixteen. Their findings, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, showed that overall a twin (26%) was myopic and that the average age at which children with myopia began wearing glasses to correct their condition was eleven years old.

The factors most closely associated with the development of myopia were the mother's level of education, hours spent playing computer games, and birth during the summer.

The authors suggest that hours spent playing computer games could not only be related to close work, but also to a reduction in time spent outside: a factor that had already been found to increase the risk of computer games. myopia.

They also suggest that children born in the UK start school earlier, so start working at a younger age. This could accelerate the growth of the eyes, considered responsible for myopia.

In contrast, fertility treatments appeared to provide short-term eye protection and were associated with a reduced risk of 25 to 30%. As has not been previously found, the authors want to reproduce the results before drawing conclusions, but assume that since infants born as a result of fertility treatments are often smaller, they may have a slight developmental delay that could explain a shorter length of eyes and less myopia.

Professor Chris Hammond, Frost Ophthalmology Chair and Director of University Ophthalmology in King & s, said:

"It is an observational study. Although we can say with certainty that there are correlations between the likelihood of developing nearsightedness and several environmental factors, we can not say for the moment that one cause and the other. In truth, it is likely that genetic and non-genetic factors play a role. More important studies are needed to better explain the interactions between the two. & # 39;