British children from Asian backgrounds are four times more likely to be short-sighted than those of other ethnic groups

Eye experts from Bristol University made the discovery after testing 4,600 children as part of an ongoing developmental study called "Children of the 90s". The team found that children of Asian ancestry (Pakistani, Indian or Chinese) were over four times as likely to be myopic than all other children in the sample - even after accounting for how much reading or schoolwork they did and whether their parents were short-sighted. Myopia (short-sightedness) is one of the world's most common eye problems and costs billions of pounds each year to correct. In some Asian countries the condition has reached epidemic proportions, with over half of the young people affected. It is believed that the intensive schooling children receive in early childhood in some Asian countries may be partly to blame, the university said. The research team performed eye tests on the British group at seven years old and again at 10 years. Lead researcher Cathy Williams said: "Although the amount of reading a child does may have some bearing on whether they become short-sighted, it does not explain why children of Asian descent are more at risk. We therefore need to continue our research and look more widely at genetic and environmental factors that might promote short-sightedness so that we can protect children of all ethnic backgrounds from developing myopia."