Does a high-carb and sugar diet induce or worsen myopia in kids?

[hei213]

I have asked about myopia development around here but not about diet.

I have found this: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1034/j.1600-0420.2002.800203.x

which by no means is a hard evidence but it suggests that western high-carb and high-sugar diet may be the one to blame for the rapidly increasing prevalence of myopia.

Those are based on the fact that some formerly hunter-gatherer communities who adopted the western way of living (schooling and foods) went from 1-2% to 50% in myopia prevalence in under a generation.

Communities that adopted schooling but not diet (mostly on rural areas) are not nearly that much affected.

Dr. Hagan if you read this, do you think diet plays a crucial role in myopia development? It would be one more reason for kids to cut back on sugar excessive carbs.

[JohnHaganMD]

No not myopia. that paper was 2002. I think there is almost uniform agreement that the epidemic of myopia is due to the lack of outdoor time (focusing on distance) and especially the huge increase in the number of hours/day of near work for reading, computers, phones, tablets, videogames, etc.

That being said the increase in developed countries of obesity, diabetes, hypertension/cardiovascular disease etc can be linked easily with diet and the huge amount of calories consumed in the form of highly refined and processed sugars.

[hei213]

Thank you for the answer. Yes indeed, kid or adult, the huge amount of processed sugars and foods should be decreased, if not for myopia, then for what you have stated above.

[JohnHaganMD]

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