An international team of scientists led by King’s College London has identified 24 new genes that cause refractive errors and short-sightedness. Until now, the scientific community knew that short-sightedness was hereditary, but did not fully understand the genetic baggage involved. By analyzing the genetic and refractive error data of over 45,000 people, the researchers found 24 new genes for this trait, and confirmed two previously reported genes. People with these genes are 10 times more likely to develop shortsightedness.
