Nature and nurture: the complex genetics of myopia and refractive error.

ABSTRACT: The refractive errors, myopia and hyperopia, are optical defects of the visual system that can cause blurred vision. Uncorrected refractive errors are the most common causes of visual impairment worldwide. It is estimated that 2.5 billion people will be affected by myopia alone within the next decade. Experimental, epidemiological and clinical research has shown that refractive development is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Animal models have showed that eye growth and refractive maturation during infancy are tightly regulated by visually guided mechanisms. Observational data in human populations provide compelling evidence that environmental influences and individual behavioral factors play crucial roles in myopia susceptibility. Nevertheless, the majority of the var

SUBMITTER: Wojciechowski R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3058260 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature