Eyesight Continues To Develop Until You're 36, Study Finds

CBS Local -- The general conception on eyesight is that it deteriorates with age. While this is not untrue, many are misinformed of when the maturation actually ends. Eyesight continues to develop through your 30's, a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience finds.

The research studied brain tissue of 30 people recently deceased, who ranged in age from 20 days to 80 years old. Contrary to what was previously believed, the visual cortex of the brain reaches maturity around age 36, give or take four years. Researchers had previously assumed that the visual cortex matured around age 5 or 6.

"There's a big gap in our understanding of how our brains function," said lead researcher Kathryn Murphy, Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. "Our idea of sensory areas developing in childhood and then being static is part of the challenge. It's not correct."

Some takeaways from the findings is such that it offers a new perspective on how to treat various visual problems. It also raises questions about other parts of the brain that have been thought to mature at a younger age than may be true.