The Multifactorial Etiology of Myopia

Abstract

Myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness, affects an enormous percentage of the adolescent population, but its causes are not extremely well quantified. While it has been established that myopia is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, this study aimed to look at both factors together and determine which has the greater influence on myopia, or if they are both equally significant. This study addressed this through a mixed-method correlational design, which included a primary questionnaire as well as secondary interviews, both of which were based on the works of Huang et al. and also Wang and Bi. A total of 122 responses were collected and used, and regarding biological factors, there was a moderate-strong correlation between the presence of myopia in a family and the presence of myopia in an individual (r (122) = .65, p < .001). In environmental factors, there was a moderate-weak correlation between near-work and myopia (r(1122) = .23, p = .04). The results indicated that biological factors play a larger role in the development of myopia than environmental factors do. These conclusions indicate that, when attempting to predict myopia in an individual, the presence of it in one’s family is more important than the time they spend performing near-work activities.