A Chinese study found a significant association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and increased myopia risk among school-aged children.  

The large-scale cross-sectional study discovered exposure to fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) is a clear risk factor for myopia, displaying a dose-response pattern indicating heightened vulnerability at commonly encountered exposure levels. While no consistent pattern was confirmed, subgroup analysis suggested variability with gender, age and parental education (higher prevalence in boys, older students and children of parents with lower education level).  

While the relationship with nitrogen dioxide (a gas mostly emitted by combustion of fossil fuels) was weaker, researchers said children in higher exposure groups consistently showed a greater risk of myopia. 

“Mitigating myopia burden may therefore require integrating air-quality criteria into public health strategies for children’s visual health,” they said, recommending further studies to confirm causality and explain the underlying biological mechanisms.