PhD defence C.A. (Clair) Enthoven

Myopia is a refractive error caused by a mismatch in the optical components of the eye; the axial length is too long relative to the cornea power and crystalline lens. It is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. This thesis shows that lifestyle factors, such as lack of outdoor exposure and increased time spend on near work activities are associated with myopia in childhood. Children with increased time spend on digital near work, such as computer or smartphone use, were more often myopic than their peers. Children with increased risk to develop myopia are those with myopic parents, from socioeconomically disadvantaged or migrant families and girls. This may be partly explained by differences in lifestyle factors. For example, children from socioeconomically disadvantaged or migrant families spend more time on the computer and children from migrant families also play less time outdoors. Girls spend more time on reading than boys. This thesis also shows that parents with myopia pass on both an increased genetic risk as well as an increased environmental risk to their children. Myopia prevention strategies should therefore be inclusive with special attention to the risk groups and aim for increasing outdoor exposure and limiting non-educational near work in childhood.

The PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall at campus Woudestein or in the Professor Andries Querido Room at the Erasmus MC. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.