Rising Myopia in Children Leads UAB Researchers to Study Visual Environments

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are studying how children’s everyday visual environments may contribute to the development and progression of myopia , or nearsightedness. The study, led by Safal Khanal, O.D., Ph.D., of the UAB School of Optometry, will use sensor-enabled glasses called VEET, or Visual Environmental Evaluation Tool, to track aspects of children’s visual experiences in their daily lives. Researchers will examine whether factors such as time spent outdoors, screen use and other visual activities are associated with changes in eye growth and myopia progression. Myopia occurs when the eye grows too long, causing distant objects to appear blurry. Although genetics play a role, researchers say genetic factors alone do not explain the increase in childhood myopia seen in recent decades.