Q: Can myopia be inherited from parents?

A: Myopia in children is mainly caused by factors, one is natural endowment and the other is acquired environment. The natural endowment means that if the parents are myopic (especially if they are highly myopic), the probability of their children's myopia may also be higher. However, it is uncertain that the child will be myopic if the parents are shortsighted. In addition to genetic factors, the child's myopia can also be affected by environmental factors.

There are many environmental factors that lead to myopia in children, such as excessive eye use, prolonged reading and studying in dimly-lit rooms, watching TV closely, indulging in electronic screens such as iPad and cell phones, lack of outdoor sports and so on.