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Hyperopia Is Not Causally Associated With a Major Deficit in Educational Attainment
Denis Plotnikov1,2, Nuala A Sheehan3, Cathy Williams4
1School of Optometry & Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Translational Vision Science & Technology
|October 28, 2021
Summary
Moderate hyperopia (farsightedness) does not appear to cause significant deficits in educational attainment. This study used genetic analysis to investigate the causal link between vision and learning in children.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Genetics
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Previous studies suggest a link between hyperopia (farsightedness) and reduced educational attainment in children.
- The causal nature of this association requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal relationship between refractive error, specifically hyperopia, and educational attainment.
- To determine if hyperopia causally impacts the number of years spent in full-time education.
Main Methods:
- Employed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis on a large cohort (74,463 participants) from the UK Biobank.
- Utilized a polygenic score for refractive error, derived from 129 genetic variants, as an instrumental variable.
- Conducted both linear and nonlinear MR analyses to assess the relationship.
Main Results:
- Linear MR analysis indicated a minimal causal effect of refractive error on educational attainment (-0.01 yr/D, P = 0.52).
- Nonlinear MR analysis supported a nonlinear relationship (I2 = 80.3%) but did not find significant deficits in educational years associated with hyperopia.
Conclusions:
- The causal link between refractive error and educational attainment is likely nonlinear.
- Moderate hyperopia does not appear to cause a major deficit in educational attainment.
- Limited statistical power may have precluded the detection of modest adverse effects.
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