The Study
Interactions between genetic variants and near-work activities in incident myopia in schoolchildren: a 4-year prospective longitudinal study
This study looked at kids over four years and found that kids with certain genes who read or used screens a lot were more likely to become nearsighted. But it doesn't prove that screens or homework made their eyes worse — maybe kids who read a lot also spend less time outside, and that's what really matters.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at kids in China to see if doing lots of homework or using screens makes them nearsighted, especially if they have a certain gene.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 551 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — for kids with this gene, spending lots of time on homework or screens greatly increases their chance of becoming nearsighted.
- 242.9% of kids became nearsighted by age 10-11.
- 3Kids who did more than 2 hours of homework a day were more likely to become nearsighted.
- 4Kids with a specific gene version who did more than 5 hours of near-work had 4.29 times higher risk; those who used screens more than 1 hour had 3.43 times higher risk.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Clinical and Experimental Optometry
Year
2022
Authors
Yaoyao Lin, D. Jiang, Chunchun Li, Xiaoqiong Huang, H. Xiao, Linjie Liu, Yanyan Chen
Related Content
Claims (4)
The rise in nearsightedness over the past several decades is due to changes in the environment, not changes in human genes.
Children with a specific genetic variant who spend more than five hours daily on close-up tasks like reading or screen use are 4.29 times more likely to develop nearsightedness than children without this variant and with less close-up work.
Chinese children aged 6-7 who spent more than two hours per day on homework developed myopia at a higher rate by age 10-11, with an average worsening of their vision by 1.20 diopters.
Children with a specific genetic variant who use electronic devices more than one hour per day have a 3.43 times higher rate of developing myopia than children without this variant who use devices less than one hour per day.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.