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Family history affects level, onset of myopia
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There is a strong familial effect on the level and age of onset of myopia, even after environmental factors are controlled for, according to a study in Taiwan.
Chung-Ling Liang and colleagues from the Kaohsiung Municipal United Hospital investigated the effect of family history on myopia and ocular dimensions including corneal curvature, anterior chamber depth and axial length. The researchers categorized participants into four groups: 185 normal subjects, 170 mild myopes, 140 moderate myopes and 392 high myopes. The age of the first glasses prescription was used to determine the onset of myopia.
When there was at least one highly myopic parent, the odds ratios of developing mild or moderate myopia were between 2.5 and 3.7, and the odds ratio of developing high myopia were greater than 5.5, the study authors said.
A strong association between parental myopic status and axial length was also found, but there was no statistically significant relationship to anterior chamber depth or corneal curvature.
The study is published in the October issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.