Role of light emitted by incandescent or fluorescent lamps in the development of myopia and astigmatism

Abstract

Background: The purpose of our study was to determine if the development of refractive errors night be associated with exposure to light emitted by incandescent or fluorescent lamps.

Material/methods: 3377 students from elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools were examined, aged 6-19 years. Visual acuity was measured, and retinoscopy was performed after cycloplegia. The parents of all students examined completed a questionnaire concerning the child's exposure to light emitted by incandescent or fluorescent lamps before the age of two. The data was analyzed using the chi-squared test.

Results: Sleeping till the age of two with a room light turned on leads to an increase in the occurrence of myopia (P<0.01). It was also found that light emitted by fluorescent lamps leads to more frequent occurrence of astigmatism (P<0.01).

Conclusions: Disturbance of the daily light/dark cycle over the time during which refraction develops may disrupt emmetropization and lead to refractive errors.