Inuit myopia: an environmentally induced "epidemic"?
Among Inuit less than 30 years old the prevalence of myopia is far in excess of that of their elders. This is especially true for females. There seems to be little, if any, genetic contribution to this "epidemic" of myopia in the young. The age and sex distribution indicates the likelihood of an environmental factor, probably cultural, being responsible for the current pattern. Other data implicate school attendance as a possible etiologic factor.
D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002170:Canada; D003469:Culture; D004522:Educational Status; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics