What is the evolutionary purpose for myopia? I forget where I heard the question raised recently, but it may well have been on the Al Franken show during a discussion of intelligent design. Economics is my day job, and I think that it offers insight into this biological riddle. So please indulge me while I put on my Jared Diamond hat. Myopia just doesn’t seem like a very intelligent design feature for a bipedal hunter that kills by throwing projectiles. It is not a modern adaptation to looking at nearby objects more often as has been rumored. Apparently, there have been studies comparing the degree of myopia in identical and fraternal twins finding that identical twins have a better chance of having similar degrees of myopia. However, there are absolutely no advantages to being unable to see far away objects in and of itself. Or are there?
