Examining the link between the development of myopia and years spent in education

By | June 15, 2018

Researchers from Bristol have published a paper examining the link between the development of myopia and years spent in education. This work was led by Denize Atan, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmology

Heretofore it was not known whether increasing exposure to education causes myopia, myopic children are more studious, or socioeconomic position leads to myopia and higher levels of education. This study confirms that more time spent in education is a causal risk factor for myopia. It also  highlights a need for further research and discussion about how educational practices might be improved to achieve better outcomes without adversely affecting vision..

The study used data from the UK Biobank cohort, for whom complete data were collected on refractive indices and years of study as a child, teenage and subsequently. Figure 3 in their paper (image above) demonstrated the negative impact on refractive error with the amount of time spent in full time education.

David Cahill, Professor in Reproductive Medicine and Medical Education