Good Grades = High Refractive Error?

HOT TOPIC

Academic Performance and Myopia Prevalence

The Global Myopia Prevalence and International Levels of Education (MILE) study investigated the relationship between myopia prevalence and academic performance and showed that math scores are strongly correlated with myopia prevalence in teenagers. The researchers also found a link between education level and refractive error development and strong quantitative evidence that educational achievement is a risk factor for myopia.

The MILE study examined the prevalence of myopia in children between the ages of 15 and 19 years in 35 different regions and matched it with educational performance as quantified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Program in Secondary Assessment (PISA) testing between 2000 and 2018. This yielded a “significant positive relationship” between educational performance and myopia prevalence in teenagers who had higher PISA scores, which correlated with higher myopia prevalence. PISA math scores showed the most robust relationship with myopia prevalence, followed by science and reading scores.

According to the study authors, the PISA scores indicate that there is a growing gap in top levels of achievement, such that East Asian regions with a high prevalence of myopia (China, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau [China]) are generally outperforming Western countries (Iceland, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands) increasingly over time.

It should also be noted, however, that countries with the top PISA scores and highest myopia prevalence are East Asian, and that individuals of East Asian descent are known for having a higher prevalence of myopia and progressing at faster rates. This could also be due to a multitude of factors, including cultural differences in how the education systems are run, earlier age of formal schooling to start, longer school hours, and tutoring activities outside regular school hours.

My Two Cents

Long before this type of research likely began, the stereotypical “nerdy” child who was good at math was the one with thick glasses. Evidently, that trope was at least partly true this whole time, as this study points out! As the father of a 5-year-old, these findings remind me of the importance of good study habits, but also of the significance of spending an adequate amount of time outside each day.

OUTSIDE THE LANE

Could Prehistoric DNA Provide Us With New Antibiotic Options?

According to Cesar de la Fuente, PhD, the next big breakthrough in antibiotic development may come from prehistoric animals. Since 2021, Dr. de la Fuente has been busy building algorithms in his lab at the University of Pennsylvania that trawl genetic databases for various peptides that have antimicrobial properties.

He initially started with human DNA, but has recently looked deep into the past, hunting for potential antimicrobial drugs in the genetic code of Neanderthals, woolly mammoths, and other ancient animals. He calls his approach “molecular de-extinction” and uses robots to recreate the most promising peptides from ancient beasts. He then tests whether they can cure infections in mice at rates similar to the modern antibiotic polymyxin B. (Read more here and here.)

My Two Cents

This is a novel idea, and thankfully, there are people out there who are much more intelligent than I am coming up with these lines of thought. It makes perfect sense to me to investigate the past in order to help our future. With an estimated 1.2 million people dying from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections each year, any opportunity to develop new antibiotics should be explored.

CAN YOU RELATE

A few weeks ago, I mentioned some of my favorite doctors to follow on social media and all the incredible things they do to further our profession and patient education. Recently, I watched a YouTube livestream of Joseph Allen, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO, (@DoctorEyeHealth) discussing the recent dry eye advances and their implications. The intended audience for this specific video was individuals with dry eye, and judging by the comments in the discussion section, Dr. Allen succeeded in grabbing the attention of his viewers. It was an incredibly thorough, professional, ethical, and well-done livestream that undoubtedly helped hundreds of people with dry eye. The thing that really struck me in his presentation was his discussion of the website www.eyedropsafety.org/, something that most doctors, let alone patients, are likely unaware of.

The site, an arm of the nonprofit the Dry Eye Foundation, is absolutely loaded with incredible information that we, as doctors and members of the eye care community, should be aware of, as should every consumer who uses eye drops. Run by a passionate team of individuals with dry eye, including its amazing President, Rebecca Petris, the organization has really improved its visibility lately—even exhibiting at numerous national conventions, including the most recent American Academy of Optometry meeting in New Orleans.

This special group should absolutely be commended for its work in patient advocacy and for making sure that we (the experts) are aware of some of the shady practices that are occurring that put our patients at risk. When doctors and reputable industry members stand arm in arm with our patients to demand improved access and safety measures, we all have the potential to benefit. A rising tide indeed raises all ships.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

— Albert Camus