September 16, 2010 
British scientists plan to invent a drug that reduces or even prevents short-sightedness, after they discovered the gene that leads to this state..
Glasses could go down in history for some ten years, when a broad application of the new drug is expect to occur. With this treatment, millions of dollars that are spent on contact lenses, glasses and laser surgery could be saved, but it could also reduce anxiety in children who do not like to wear visual aids.
Due to the increasing number of hours spent in front of computer screens, visual acuity worsened significantly in both children and adults. Research to find genes that cause short-sightedness, already in children age, was conducted on 4000 British twins. The results showed that the gene RASGRF1, when not working properly, makes distant objects blurred or unclear.
“Although we already knew that environmental conditions affect the short-sightedness, until now we did not know how people become myopic,” said scientist Chris Hammond.Drops, which the scientists intend to invent, won’t be of great use in adults, but will help children, they say.
Taken from: www.dnevnik.hr