High heritability of myopia does not preclude rapid changes in prevalence

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology and genetics research.

Background:

• Myopia's etiology is complex, involving genetic and environmental factors.
• Environmental influences are increasingly significant in myopia development, particularly in East Asia.
• High heritability does not negate the impact of environmental factors on myopia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in myopia etiology.
• To examine the role of environmental influences on myopia outcomes in East Asia.
• To assess the influence of parental myopia on offspring myopia within changing environmental contexts.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of family inheritance patterns and heritability values globally.
• Examination of environmental exposures like education and urbanization in East Asian populations.
• Parent-offspring correlation studies to evaluate heritability in diverse environmental settings.

Main Results:

• Environmental factors play a crucial role in myopia development, especially in East Asia.
• Lower heritability estimates in East Asian populations correlate with significant environmental exposure differences.
• Parental myopia remains a factor influencing offspring myopia, even amidst environmental shifts.

Conclusions:

• Myopia results from a complex interaction between genetics and environment.
• Environmental pressures, particularly in East Asia, are key drivers of myopia.
• Genetic predisposition, indicated by parental myopia, still shapes individual myopia risk within environmental contexts.