Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1993 Feb;47(1):50–53. doi: 10.1136/jech.47.1.50

Education, reading, and familial tendency as risk factors for myopia in Hong Kong fishermen.

L Wong 1, D Coggon 1, M Cruddas 1, C H Hwang 1
PMCID: PMC1059711  PMID: 8436895

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to assess the influence of childhood reading on the development of myopia after allowance for familial differences in susceptibility. DESIGN--The study was a cross sectional survey. SETTING--Four fishing harbours in Hong Kong in 1989. SUBJECTS--Participants were 408 men and women aged 15-39 years old from 159 families. MAIN RESULTS--Histories of school attendance and reading habits in childhood were obtained at interview. Myopia was assessed by retinoscopy. Associations between myopia (defined as a refractive error of at least -1.0D in one or both eyes) and indices of reading in childhood were explored. Myopia was more common in subjects who had attended school (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-3.0), with the highest risks in those who had started school at the earliest ages and who had spent the most time reading and writing while at primary school. Allowance for familial tendency to myopia produced no diminution in the risks associated with reading. CONCLUSIONS--These data support the hypothesis that reading in childhood is a cause of short sight.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Angle J., Wissmann D. A. Age, reading, and myopia. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1978 May;55(5):302–308. doi: 10.1097/00006324-197805000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Angle J., Wissmann D. A. The epidemiology of myopia. Am J Epidemiol. 1980 Feb;111(2):220–228. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112889. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ashton G. C. Nearwork, school achievement and myopia. J Biosoc Sci. 1985 Apr;17(2):223–233. doi: 10.1017/s0021932000015686. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bear J. C., Richler A., Burke G. Nearwork and familial resemblances in ocular refraction: a population study in Newfoundland. Clin Genet. 1981 Jun;19(6):462–472. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0004.1981.tb02065.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Goldschmidt E. [On the etiology of myopia. An epidemiological study]. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1968;(Suppl):1+–1+. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Johnson G. J., Matthews A., Perkins E. S. Survey of ophthalmic conditions in a Labrador community. I. Refractive errors. Br J Ophthalmol. 1979 Jun;63(6):440–448. doi: 10.1136/bjo.63.6.440. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Karlsson J. L. Genetics of myopia and associated mental traits. Hereditas. 1986;105(2):205–208. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1986.tb00663.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Karlsson J. L. Influence of the myopia gene on brain development. Clin Genet. 1975 Nov;8(5):314–318. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0004.1975.tb01508.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Knobloch W. H., Leavenworth N. M., Bouchard T. J., Eckert E. D. Eye findings in twins reared apart. Ophthalmic Paediatr Genet. 1985 Feb;5(1-2):59–66. doi: 10.3109/13816818509007856. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Letocha C. C. Myopia. Arch Ophthalmol. 1983 Aug;101(8):1301–1301. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1983.01040020303029. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Morgan R. W., Munro M. Refractive problems in Northern natives. Can J Ophthalmol. 1973 Apr;8(2):226–228. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Morgan R. W., Speakman J. S., Grimshaw S. E. Inuit myopia: an environmentally induced "epidemic"? Can Med Assoc J. 1975 Mar 8;112(5):575–577. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Oakley K. H., Young F. A. Bifocal control of myopia. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1975 Nov;52(11):758–764. doi: 10.1097/00006324-197511000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Peckham C. S., Gardiner P. A., Goldstein H. Acquired myopia in 11-year-old children. Br Med J. 1977 Feb 26;1(6060):542–545. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6060.542. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pärssinen T. O. Relation between refraction, education, occupation, and age among 26- and 46-year-old Finns. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1987 Feb;64(2):136–143. doi: 10.1097/00006324-198702000-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Richler A., Bear J. C. Refraction, nearwork and education. A population study in Newfoundland. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1980 Jun;58(3):468–478. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1980.tb05748.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rosner M., Belkin M. Intelligence, education, and myopia in males. Arch Ophthalmol. 1987 Nov;105(11):1508–1511. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1987.01060110054030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. SORSBY A., FRASER G. R. STATISTICAL NOTE ON THE COMPONENTS OF OCULAR REFRACTION IN TWINS. J Med Genet. 1964 Sep;1(1):47–49. doi: 10.1136/jmg.1.1.47. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sofaer J. A., Emery A. E. Genes for super-intelligence? J Med Genet. 1981 Dec;18(6):410–413. doi: 10.1136/jmg.18.6.410. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sperduto R. D., Seigel D., Roberts J., Rowland M. Prevalence of myopia in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 1983 Mar;101(3):405–407. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1983.01040010405011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Teasdale T. W., Fuchs J., Goldschmidt E. Degree of myopia in relation to intelligence and educational level. Lancet. 1988 Dec 10;2(8624):1351–1354. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)90880-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wallman J., Gottlieb M. D., Rajaram V., Fugate-Wentzek L. A. Local retinal regions control local eye growth and myopia. Science. 1987 Jul 3;237(4810):73–77. doi: 10.1126/science.3603011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Woodruff M. E., Samek M. J. A study of the prevalence of spherical equivalent refractive states and anisometropia in Amerind populations in Ontario. Can J Public Health. 1977 Sep-Oct;68(5):414–424. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. YOUNG F. A. THE EFFECT OF RESTRICTED VISUAL SPACE ON THE REFRACTIVE ERROR OF THE YOUNG MONKEY EYE. Invest Ophthalmol. 1963 Dec;2:571–577. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. YOUNG F. A. The effect of restricted visual space on the primate eye. Am J Ophthalmol. 1961 Nov;52:799–806. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(61)90904-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Young F. A., Leary G. A., Baldwin W. R., West D. C., Box R. A., Harris E., Johnson C. The transmission of refractive errors within eskimo families. Am J Optom Arch Am Acad Optom. 1969 Sep;46(9):676–685. doi: 10.1097/00006324-196909000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Young F. A. The nature and control of myopia. J Am Optom Assoc. 1977 Apr;48(4):451–457. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES