New paper: Reappraisal of the historical myopia epidemic in native Arctic communities

In the 1950’s Indigenous Arctic communities saw a spectacular rise in myopia prevalence, which was attributed to changes in their way of life and the introduction of formal education. Children were forced to attend ‘residential schools’ in an aggressive program of deculturalization, where they experienced extreme mental, emotional, and physical stress. Since then, other possible causes for myopia have been discovered, prompting us to reassess this historical myopia epidemic. After reviewing available published data, its most likely causes were the combination of increased near work and the move from a mostly outdoor to a much more indoor way of life, exacerbated by fewer hours of sunshine during waking hours and the lower illuminance in the Arctic.

Rozema JJ, Boulet C, Cohen Y, Stell WK, Iribarren L, van Rens GHMB, Iribarren R. Reappraisal of the historical myopia epidemic in native Arctic communities. Ophthal Physiol Opt. 2021; (in press)