With the incidence of
myopia (nearsightedness) rising worldwide,
researchers recently sought to look for possible causes, which remain
uncertain. While genetic factors probably play the biggest role, some
studies have suggested that there may be an association between this
refractive error and light exposure. With this in mind, Israeli researchers
looked at data on youths ranging in age from 16-23 specifically to see if
there is a relation between the incidence of nearsightedness and birth
months. To their surprise, the researchers found that the babies born in
June and July had a 24% greater chance of becoming severely myopic
than those born in December and January. This finding suggests that
early-life exposure to natural light may be linked with myopia.
Nearsightedness is a very common vision condition that affects
nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population.
