A study shows the correlation between education and myopia -
Education and behavior have a greater impact on the development of myopia than do the genetic factors: With the school year ended, a person becomes more myopic. The higher the education level, the more serious degradation of vision. These are the conclusions drawn by the researchers of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical Center of the University of Mainz from the results of the first cohort study based on the population of this condition. A myopic eye is one in which the eyeball is too long compared to the refractive power of the cornea and lens. Therefore, remote objects are displayed on the retina of focus. The eyeball continues to grow in humans until they reach adulthood and this means that myopia can also continue to progress in people who have reached their 30s. It has been shown that both genetic predisposition and environmental stimuli play a role in the development of myopia.
The team of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Mainz University Medical Center led by Professor Norbert Pfeiffer and PD Dr. Alireza Mirshahi found strong evidence that achieving a level of education more high and spend more years in school are two factors associated with a greater prevalence and severity of myopia or nearsightedness. The results of the ophthalmic segment of the study population based Gutenberg Health (GHS) undertaken by the Medical Center of the University of Mainz provides evidence that environmental factors may outweigh genetic factors in the development of myopia . A related article by the Mainz team has just been published in the American Academy of Ophthalmology journal, Ophthalmology .
Myopia is widespread. However, it has become more common worldwide in recent years and has an increasing global health and economic concern. Severe myopia is a major cause of visual impairment and is strongly associated with an increased risk of complications such as retinal detachment, macular degeneration, premature cataracts, and glaucoma. Developed Asia reported an increase in myopia rates of up to 80 percent. The speed of this escalation suggested that environmental factors, such close work such as reading, using a computer, and higher education could play an important role.
To analyze the correlation between the development of myopia and education, researchers at the Mainz University Medical Center examined nearsightedness to 4,658 Germans aged 35-74, excluding any person with cataracts or who had undergone refractive surgery. This research was conducted as part of the Gutenberg on the health study and the results show that myopia becomes more common with higher levels of education. Only 24 percent of myopic subjects were no school or other training, while 35 percent of high school graduates and graduates of vocational schools were myopic. However, no less than 53 per cent of university graduates were myopic.
In addition to the completed education levels, researchers based Mainz also found that people who spent more years in school were found to be nearsighted, nearsightedness with worsening each year from school. In addition, the researchers studied the effects of 45 genetic markers, but found that they have a much lower impact on the severity of myopia with respect to educational attainment.
So what can be done to remedy this situation? It is impossible to nearsightedness "cure"; it can not be corrected with visual aids or surgical intervention to change the refraction parameters. Attempts to slow the progression of myopia with drugs, special glasses or contact lenses have been unsuccessful to date. Recent studies in children and young adults in Denmark and Asia have shown that the risk for the development of myopia may be less to spend more time outside and therefore to greater sun exposure . Fifteen hours per week are recommended, while, at the same time, the eyes must not be used for close-up activities such as reading, watching television or using computers and smart phones for more than 30 hours week. "Since students seem to be at higher risk for myopia, it makes sense to encourage them to spend more time outdoors as a precaution," said Dr. Alireza PD Mirshahi, lead author of the study .
Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) is a prospective study of interdisciplinary-based cohort single-center population, which was conducted at the Mainz University Medical Center since 07. cardiovascular disease, cancer, eye diseases, metabolic disorders, and immune system and mental disorders are being studied as part of the study. The purpose of the study is to improve the prediction of individual risk for these diseases. To this end, lifestyle, psychosocial factors, environmental, clinical laboratory parameters, and severity of any subclinical disorder are considered. A full biorepository is being developed so that molecular biology investigations may be conducted. During the initial visit, 15,010 participants aged 35 to 74 years were invited to participate in a program review of five hours at the study center. This was followed by a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) using a standardized questionnaire and assessment of diseases and health problems after 2.5 years. All parameters will be subject to extensive validation. In April 2012, a detailed follow-up review of similar participants to the basic examination was conducted at the center five years after their inclusion in the study. The goal is to continue to follow the cohort and to perform other tests.
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