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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Inducement and Evaluation of a Murine Model of Experimental Myopia
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Natural selection contributes to the myopia epidemic.

Erping Long1,2, Jianzhi Zhang1

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

National Science Review
|September 17, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Myopia prevalence is rising due to genetic factors. Natural selection favors some myopia-related genes for reproductive benefits, inadvertently increasing nearsightedness cases by over 100,000 per generation in the UK.

Keywords:
allele frequencyantagonistic pleiotropyevolutionmyopianatural selectionreproduction

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Area of Science:

  • Human genetics
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Myopia (nearsightedness) prevalence has surged globally, posing a significant public health concern.
  • This increase is often linked to lifestyle changes, but underlying genetic factors may also play a crucial role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate changes in myopia-associated allele frequencies over 25 years in the UK Biobank.
  • To explore the role of natural selection and antagonistic pleiotropy in the myopia epidemic.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of UK Biobank data spanning 25 years.
  • Examination of allele frequencies for myopia-associated mutations.
  • Estimation of natural selection's contribution to myopia incidence.

Main Results:

  • A significant increase in myopia-associated mutant allele frequencies was observed over 25 years.
  • Many myopia-associated alleles confer reproductive advantages.
  • Natural selection is estimated to contribute over 100,000 myopia cases per generation in the UK.

Conclusions:

  • Antagonistic pleiotropy, where genes benefit reproduction but cause myopia, likely fuels the myopia epidemic.
  • Genetic factors and natural selection, not just lifestyle, are critical in understanding myopia's rise.
  • This highlights the need to consider evolutionary mechanisms in human health crises.