Among Inuit less than 30 years old the prevalence of myopia is far in excess of that of their elders. This is especially true for females. There seems to be little, if any, genetic contribution to this "epidemic" of myopia in the young. The age and sex distribution indicates the likelihood of an environmental factor, probably cultural, being responsible for the current pattern. Other data implicate school attendance as a possible etiologic factor.
Notes
From: Fortuine, Robert et al. 1993. The Health of the Inuit of North America: A Bibliography from the Earliest Times through 1990. University of Alaska Anchorage. Citation number 2506.