Environmental factors and myopia.

PURPOSE The aim of the work was to assess the impact of environmental factors on the prevalence of myopia. MATERIAL AND METHODS The work presents and discusses contemporary literature on the environmental determinants of myopia. RESULTS In the existing works it was demonstrated that environmental factors lead to higher prevalence of myopia. It is assumed that the higher incidence of myopia in people living in the city and in individuals with higher levels of education is a consequence of intensive visual near work, especially in reading, writing and visual work at the computer. This dependence may be associated with changes in the shape of the cornea or accommodation. CONCLUSIONS Environmental factors influence the prevalence of myopia. Most probably it is the consequence of intensive visual near work: reading, writing, visual work at the computer.