Genetics greater influence than environment on eye defects

{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q:“Aberrations are for instance responsible for how everyone see stars in the sky slightly different at night. But now, we can say that only identical twins see identical stars,”-WHO:Dr Juan Tabernero, Lead Researcher, PhD, Anglia Ruskin University}}Scientists were able to draw this conclusion after examining the vision of 69 sets of twins – 36 of whom were identical – to look for optical defects. The research results showed that identical twins shared identical defects, even in over-50s where environmental factors have had more than half a century to influence these aberrations.Meanwhile, the non-identical twins, who on average share only 50% of their genes as opposed to the 100% shared between identical twins, had different ocular defects as a result of their genetic difference.“We have shown how tiny optical defects of the eye that respond to imperfections as small as a few micrometres in the lenses of the human eye are extrely similar in identical twins, and not in non-identical twins,” lead researcher Dr Juan Tabernero said.“This situation illustrated the strong genetic component that affects these defects against the opinion of those who thought that the aberrations were mostly influenced by the environment. Our results were particularly striking if we take into account that our twins were mostly in the 50s and had been ‘using’ their eyes independently from each sibling for such a long time.”Previously, little was known about the role of genetics in minor optical aberrations and defects. The genetic link was only studied for larger optical defects such as astigmatism and myopia.“Aberrations are for instance responsible for how everyone see stars in the sky slightly different at night. But now, we can say that only identical twins see identical stars,” Tabernero added.The study was published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.