Gene Causes Nearsightedness in Children Who Read

There may be a gene that causes nearsightedness, but only in people who spent a lot of their childhood reading. The new findings may reveal a way to potentially prevent such severe nearsightedness in the future.

"We have known for decades that myopia is caused by genes and their interactions with environmental factors like reading and nearwork, but we have not had hard proof," said Andrei Tkatchenko, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is the first known evidence of gene-environment interaction in myopia."

Scientists aren't quite sure how genetic variation at the APLP2 gene causes myopia, also known as nearsightedness. However, the researchers believe that the risk variant may increase the amount of APLP2 protein produced in the eye, which in turn may cause the eye to undergo excessive elongation.

In this latest study, the researchers found that mice exposed to a visual environment that mimicked reading were less likely to develop myopia when little APLP2 protein was present in the eye.

"By reducing the level of APLP2 in the eye, you can reduce susceptibility to environmentally induced myopia," said Tkatchenko. "This gives us an opportunity to develop a therapy to prevent myopia in everyone, regardless of the APLP2 variant they carry."

The findings could be huge when it comes to preventing nearsightedness in children. With that said, it's important to identify children with genetic risk factors early-as they enter school. Otherwise, preventative measures can't be enacted.

"People say, 'What's so terrible about myopia? You just have to get glasses,'" said Tkatchenko. "But myopia increases the risk of developing cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment later in life. All of these can lead to blindness."

The findings are published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

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