Introduction
Myopia is a condition still under global research since it affects over 20% of the worldwide population. Environmental and genetic factors influence myopia in an individual. The genetic makeup of a person, constant watching of television, and computers to read and write, affect a person’s visual health. In this essay, we will discuss the chances of Paul, a six-year-old only child, becoming myopic in the future considering his genetic composition where the mother is myopic and the father an emmetropic.
The Predictive Factors
Generally, researchers have predicted myopia’s progress and prevalence by considering factors such as environmental activities engaged in, ocular biometric features, and the child’s internal characteristics. In predicting Paul’s myopia chances, factors like outdoor activities, the family history, and early refractive status, are considered.
Intrinsic Factors
Paul’s myopic state’s future depends on parents’ myopia status and his refractive error status at his young age (Jones-Jordan et al., 2010, pp. 118). There is also the consideration of Paul’s birth position and birth season. Paul is an only child and the firstborn of a myopic mother and an emerald father; which significantly influences his chances of becoming myopic in the future. The birth season has minimal influence on a child’s future myopic state; moreover, children born during autumn or summer are likely to develop some degree of myopia as they age compared to those born in winter.
Children’s birth position is a high influencer in their likelihood to get progressing myopia condition as they age. According to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPACA), firstborns have a higher short-sightedness prevalence than their siblings. The number of hours myopic parents read during summer against the number of hours spent outdoor for firstborns against other positions was OR= 1.40 from ALSPACA’s study. Paul is a firstborn; therefore, his chances of getting myopia with age is high. Pacella conducted a study that took 24 years to complete to evaluate the gene-environmental factors associated with myopia: which concluded that children with two myopic parents were 6.2 times more likely to become myopic than children none or one myopic parent (Jones-Jordan et al., 2010, pp. 116). Therefore, Paul’s chances of becoming myopic are moderate as per Pacella research. The child has a +0.25 right and left eye Rx: the mother has 3D myopia, and the father is emmetropic.
Jones-Jordan et al.’s studies investigated the effects of parental myopia and a child’s refraction level, and the results as displayed in the graph below.
There is a 30% risk of a child to develop myopia if their Rx is less than or equal to 0.75, and the parents were emmetropic at the age of 13 years old. However, the probability goes to 60% with reduced refraction status in the child. Additionally, higher engagement in outdoor activity lowers myopia’s chances of getting myopia at 13 years old.
Environmental Factors
Factors such as limited outdoor activities, more reading, visual work, and writing with a computer associated with extensive education levels and regular viewing of television positively influence myopia’s prevalence. Other environmental factors include pollution, temperature difference, race, bacteria and other eye conditions. A childlike Paul has normal visual health and therefore limited chances of getting myopia from environmental factors if proper precautions are maintained.
Ocular Features
CLEERE’s study focuses on three features and how they interact with changed axial lengths, peripheral Rx, and Refraction in a child’s relation to myopia. Rx changes correlate to the axial length changes since the 1mm axial length change translates to a 3D shift in Rx. 88% of myopic individuals have an axial length to corneal radius ratio of 3.0. Six-year-old children have an approximate of 61% sensitivity and 73% specificity, which determines the likelihood of myopia affecting children in their adult years.
Myopia Progression
The Rx changes have juvenile and infantile phases in children between their birth (0 years) and teenage years (13 years).
The graph above clearly shows how the emmetropization process occurs in children until around the age of six-years-old. The juvenile process follows where myopic children are affected as they grow. According to Gompertz curves, the three different myopic types evolve at different paces concerning their specific offset and onset features. Anisomyopia and astigmatism influence myopia’s progress in individuals, which can be prevented by constant engagement in outdoor activities, corrective lenses, and regular eye checkups.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Paul has a moderate risk of getting myopia because of his birth position and genetic factor that puts him at a small risk. Only the mother has a 3D myopic condition, and the father is emmetropic. According to his normal eye health and a refractive error of +0.25 in both eyes, he is less likely to get severe myopia until probably at very late stages of his life, hence he is open to various career options; the military.