The Role of Birth Weight in Myopia - The Genes in Myopia Twin Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: It was the aim of this study to assess the role of birth weight in the development of myopia using a large cohort of Caucasian monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins that took part in the Genes in Myopia (GEM) twin study. METHODS: The recruitment of all twins in the GEM twin study was facilitated by the Australian Twin Registry. Each twin underwent a standard questionnaire and a comprehensive ocular examination, which included a dilated objective refraction through autorefraction. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent equal to or worse than -0.50 diopters. Birth weight was determined through self-report as part of the standard questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 1,224 twins..