Genome-wide association studies of refractive error and myopia, lessons learned, and implications for the future.

The investigation of the genetic basis of refractive error and myopia entered a new stage with the introduction of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Multiple GWAS on many ethnic groups have been published over the years, providing new insight into the genetic architecture and pathophysiology of refractive error. This is a review of the GWAS published to date, the main lessons learned, and future possible directions of genetic studies of myopia and refractive error. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.