Gender predisposition to myopia shifts to girls in the young generation. | IOVS (2025)

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Gender predisposition to myopia shifts to girls in the young generation. | IOVS? ›

The results show that men had a higher prevalence of myopia in our study of older generations; while girls had a higher prevalence in the young generation. Our hypothetical interventions suggest that these generation-specific gender preponderances were largely due to education

[7,8] Many factors are responsible for the higher myopia rate of girls than that of boys, including earlier growth conditions, more limited outdoor activity time than boys. However, certain internal factors, like hormone endocrine, are yet to be investigated. Xie et al.

Results: It was found that myopia occurs more frequently in girls (7.4%) than in boys (5.1%) - p < 0.001. Hyperopia occurs more frequently in boys (19.6%) than in girls (18.2%) - p < 0.001.

Experts link this increase of persons with myopia to the increase in daily hours focused on the use of electronic devices with a screen that also increases sedentary lifestyle. It is estimated that young people use the mobile phone for 4 to 8 hours a day and the computer for 2 to 4 hours a day.

In a large number of studies, children with myopic parents have been shown to be more likely myopic compared with those with non-myopic parents. Having two myopic parents generally poses a greater risk than having only one. These correlations are well established in populations of both East Asian and Caucasian origin.

Causes Of Myopia In Children

One theory to explain the sharp increase in nearsightedness in kids in recent decades has to do with screen time. “Thirty years ago, kids didn't spend time with technology like phones, laptops and tablets that required them to look at screens close up for hours a day,” says Dr. Le.

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common vision problem that often begins between the ages of 6 and 14. It affects an estimated 5% of preschoolers, about 9% of school aged children and 30% of adolescents. Children are more likely to develop myopia if their parents are nearsighted.

This problem happens when the shape or condition of the cornea — or the shape of the eye itself — causes an inaccurate focusing of the light passing into the eye. Nearsightedness usually results when the eye is too long or oval-shaped rather than round. It also may result when the curve of the cornea is too steep.

Many people will not experience an increasing degree of myopia as they exit their 20s, but diagnosis as a child will usually remain with someone their whole life. It's rare for myopia to continue to get worse as you age past your early 20s.

The World Health Organization estimates that half the world's population may be myopic by 2050. Given that genes don't change that quickly, environmental factors, especially children's decreased exposure to outdoor light, are the likely cause of this rise in myopia, experts believe.

What is the biological cause of myopia? ›

If you have myopia, more than likely, at least one or both of your biological parents do, too. Eye experts are still unsure of the exact cause of myopia, but believe it to be a mix of hereditary and environmental factors. It's possible that you can inherit the ability to be myopic.

Nearsightedness (Myopia).

If you read our Mother's Day post, you know that nearsightedness can be inherited from your mom but is even more likely to be inherited from your dad. While nearsightedness is a result of both genetic and environmental factors, eye shape is inherited.

Myopia is the most common ocular disorder worldwide, it is the leading cause of visual impairment in children, and its incidence is increasing rapidly.

Nearsightedness is usually neither a dominant nor recessive trait. In most cases, it occurs due to a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, rather than just one gene. The exception to this is when a person inherits a specific genetic condition that causes myopia as a symptom.

First, some of the participants (3–4%) received physical examinations before or after the age of 19 (age range: 18–35 years). This may have led to some variation in the results. Second, we only included men in this study. Myopia has been reported to be more prevalent in women than in men⁴⁵.

More near based activities

Age: Children who were exposed to near work at a younger age (6 years or less) were more likely to develop myopia.