Education Has Something To Do With Nearsightedness In First-Born Children

Firstborns may be more likely to be nearsighted, according to recent findings published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Researchers believe that parental pressures related to education may have something to do with this. For instance, if children spend more time in front of a screen or book squinting while reading, this could harm their eye sight over time. 

"In the current study we set out to test whether the link between birth order and myopia might have arisen because first-born individuals tend to spend slightly longer in full-time education than later-born individuals," said study lead author Jeremy Guggenhem of Cardiff University in Wales, via NPR. 

In this recent study, researchers analyzed information on 9,000 participants involved in the British Biobank longitudinal survey. All participants were between the ages of 40 and 69 and researchers specifically focused on Caucasian adults with no history of eye disorders.

Study results revealed that firstborns were up to 10 percent more likely to be myopic, otherwise known as nearsighted, and twice as likely to have what researchers referred to as "high myopia," when compared to siblings that followed. However, when researchers took educational exposure into account, they found that the relationship between short-sightedness and birth order was no longer statistically significant.

Researchers believe that the cause may stem from an educational push that is oftentimes seen in firstborns more. Previous research has also shown that rates of myopia have skyrocketed in fast-developing countries such as China and India, according to TIME Health.

"Myopia is increasing in prevalence in younger generations in many parts of the world," the paper states. "Because the condition is a cause of visual impairment and blindness, it is becoming an increasingly important public health issue."

There are a range of treatment options for myopia. To find out more, click here, courtesy of the American Optometric Association. 

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