Transcript Hereditary Factors In the Development of Myopia Helena Jordao

Hereditary Factors in the Development of Myopia:
Work in Progress
Helena Jordao – Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences & Honors College
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Eve – Associate Dean, Honors College; Department of Applied Gerontology
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
LITERATURE
Myopia, or near-sightedness, is a common
problem in the United States, and is caused not
only by environmental factors, such as reading
and lighting issues, but also by hereditary factors.
Scientists have been researching this hereditary
susceptibility for several years, attempting to
identify the locus of the myopia gene. The
purpose of my research is to identify a connection
beyond environmental factors, leading to the
support of hereditary factors in the development
of myopia in a small sample of myopic
children. In order to obtain data, I will administer
a four-question survey for a parent to fill out
about the myopic child, asking two questions
about possible environmental factors and two
questions
about
possible
hereditary
factors. From this data, I will graph the causes of
myopia of those children and support the
hereditary factors that likely caused the myopia.
Once
all
IRB
forms
are
submitted and accepted, I will
conduct a survey through the
help of an optometrist. Ten
parents will volunteer to fill out
the following survey, resulting
in data for ten myopic children.
This data will then be analyzed
to find the causes for myopia in
those cases.
Junghans, B. M., and S. G. Crewther. 2005. Little evidence for an
epidemic of myopia in Australian primary school children
over the last 30 years. BioMed Central Ophthalmology 5,
no.1 (February 11), Http://www.biomedcentral.com/14712415/5/1 (accessed October 1, 2006).
Kennedy, R. H., J. A. Dyer, M. A. Kennedy, S. Parulkar, L. T. Kurland,
D. Herman, D. McIntire, D. Jacobs, R. V. Luepker. 2000.
Reducing the progression of myopia with atropine: A long
term cohort study of Olmsted County students. Binocul
Vis Strabismus Q 15, no.3: 281-304.
Mak, W., M. W. Kwan, T. S. Cheng, K. H. Chan, R. T. Cheung, and S. L.
Ho. 2006. Myopia as a latent phenotype of a pleiotropic
gene positively selected for facilitating neurocognitive
development, and the effects of environmental factors in
its expression. Medical Hypotheses 66, no.6:1209-1215.
Saw, S. M. 2003. A synopsis of the prevalence rates and
environmental risk factors for myopia. Clinical &
Experimental Optometry 86, no.5: 289-294.
Stambolian, D., G. Ibay, L. Reider, D. Dana, C. Moy, M. Schlifka, T.
Holmes, E.Ciner, and J. E. Bailey-Wilson. 2004.
Genomewide linkage scan for myopia susceptibility loci
among Ashkenazi Jewish families shows evidence of
linkage of chromosome 22q12. American Journal of
Human Genetics 75: 448-459.
Young, T. L, S. M. Ronan, L. A. Drahozal, S. C. Wildenberg, A. B.
Alvear, W. S. Oetting, L. D. Atwood, D. J. Wilkin, and R. A.
King. 1998. Evidence that a locus for familial high myopia
maps to chromosome 18p. American Journal of Human
Genetics 63: 109-119.
Did the child have a night-light
through early childhood?
1) Yes
2) No
 Did the child start reading at an
early
age?
1) Yes, 3-5
2) No, 6-8
THE MYOPIC EYE
 Do the parents have myopia?
1) Yes, both parents
2) Yes, one parent
3) No, neither parent
 Do the grandparents have
myopia?
1) Yes, four or three grandparents
2) Yes, two or one grandparent
3) No, none
PROBABLE CAUSES OF MYOPIA IN DATA
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
COMING
SOON
Environmental
Factors
Hereditary Factors