Older dads lift odds of high myopia

Researchers find link to mutation in gene that causes nearsightedness

The older a father is, the higher the possibility his child will suffer from early-onset high myopia due to a mutation in a gene, Chinese scientists found.

It is the first causal gene that has been proven, through complete animal model tests, to lead to high myopia, nearsightedness of - 6.00 diopters, said Jin Zibing, one of the leading researchers on a team from Wenzhou Medical University in Zhejiang province.