Born in the summer? Put on your glasses!

The results obtained by Israeli ophthalmologists under the guidance of Dr. Yossi Mandel indicate that the influence of light on the formation of vision in the perinatal period can be carried out either before the birth of a child, by transmitting biological signals from the mother, or by direct exposure to light on the newborn. The combined effect of these factors is also possible.

Taking into account the potentially small influence of light on the degree of myopia, special attention was paid to the selection of the studied population, which, in order to obtain objective results, must be very large and live in the same conditions. The authors chose a group of conscripts who underwent a medical examination in the period from 2000 to 2004. All 276911 members of the sample (157663 men and 119248 women) were born in Israel and, accordingly, were exposed to the same seasonal changes in the light regime. During the medical examination, 18.8% of conscripts were diagnosed with mild, 8.7% – moderate and 2.4% – severe myopia.

According to the results of data analysis conducted taking into account known risk factors, such as gender, level of education and country of origin of parents, the risk of developing moderate and severe myopia is associated with seasonal light levels. At the same time, myopia is most often found in those born in June and July, and most rarely in those born in December and January. The authors claim that the obtained statistical correlations have a high degree of reliability.

According to the authors, given that the relationship with the date of birth is particularly pronounced for severe forms of myopia, it is a reasonable assumption that only a part of the population is genetically predisposed to the development of myopia under the influence of external risk factors, such as a prolonged perinatal light period. They emphasize that further study of the mechanisms underlying the influence of light on the development and progression of myopia is necessary for the development of effective preventive measures.

Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily

03.04.2008