Myopia in Asia: an unexploded bomb.(Editorial)

In this issue of the BJO (p 538), Saw and colleagues show that, after exclusion of syndrome associated and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) related myopia, there was no identifiable link between birth weight and refractive error in later childhood. Low birth weight has been linked to adult risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. The effects of low birth weight are increased by slow infant growth and rapid weight gain in later childhood. (1) The so called "Barker hypothesis" suggests that antenatal factors may "program" physiology in later life. The absence of a clear association with refractive error suggests the process coordinating ocular dimensions does not fall under the control of a similar mechanism. Put simply, they show that bigger children have bigger eyes, but not necessarily (after correction for other socioeconomic factors) …