Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
'Eye gene discovery may end the need for glasses,' is the somewhat optimistic headline in the Daily Express. The story looks at a wide-ranging and well conducted study that has also been reported on by the Daily Mail and The Independent.
The study investigated whether certain genes increase the risk of developing refractive errors, which are errors in the way the eye focuses light. Researchers were especially interested in genes that increase the risk of short-sightedness (myopia).
The researchers looked for genetic variants associated with refractive errors among more than 45,000 people. They found 26 genetic variants, two of which had previously been linked to refractive errors, plus 24 new variants. They then calculated that people carrying all the genetic variants were 10 times more likely to become short-sighted.
Sadly, learning more about the genetics of short-sightedness doesn't automatically lead to new treatments ? at least not in the short-term. As the Mail rightly pointed out, "any drug to prevent [the] condition is at least 15 years away."
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/February/Pages/Short-sightedness-genes-discovered.aspx
The study investigated whether certain genes increase the risk of developing refractive errors, which are errors in the way the eye focuses light. Researchers were especially interested in genes that increase the risk of short-sightedness (myopia).
The researchers looked for genetic variants associated with refractive errors among more than 45,000 people. They found 26 genetic variants, two of which had previously been linked to refractive errors, plus 24 new variants. They then calculated that people carrying all the genetic variants were 10 times more likely to become short-sighted.
Sadly, learning more about the genetics of short-sightedness doesn't automatically lead to new treatments ? at least not in the short-term. As the Mail rightly pointed out, "any drug to prevent [the] condition is at least 15 years away."
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/February/Pages/Short-sightedness-genes-discovered.aspx