Bad eyesight may be genetic

The next time you scold your child for sitting too close to the television and making a mess of his eyes, rest assured that not all of it is the idiot box's fault. New research shows that bad eyesight may be largely inherited by your parents and environmental factors may have less to do with it than was earlier believed. Research conducted at The Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, London, suggests that the poor eyesight is almost 85% inherited from one's parents, though close work and poor lighting also make a significant contribution. The study was conducted on twins, both identical and fraternal (non-identical), and the results showed that both twins in an identical pair were more likely to have a poor eyesight than twins in a fraternal pair. This means that since identical twins share their genes, the eyesight is genetically transferred from parents to their children. Researchers believe, in the wake of increasing incidence of eyesight disorders in the modern world that, the modern way of life exposes children to more disabling situations than earlier times. The genes for poor eyesight were always transferred from parents to their children but they never came to the fore because the earlier environment was not as stressful. Now in a technology steeped world, children are being exposed to the television, books and computers very early. This has resulted in eye strain and thus problems of eye sight. Figures show that almost 2 out of every 3 teenagers worldwide wear spectacles to correct myopia or astigmatism. Several surgical procedures are also being used but with variable success. Though some dietary habits like eating green leafy vegetables and yellow fruits help to reduce such problems, if the genetic theory is true, all can be blamed on our ancestors.

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