Up to 90% of school leavers in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia - short-sightedness - a study suggests. Researchers say the "extraordinary rise" in the problem is being caused by students working very hard in school and missing out on outdoor light。

　　近期的一項(xiàng)研究表明，在亞洲主要城市中，高達(dá)90%的畢業(yè)生都患有近視。 研究人員說(shuō)，這一問(wèn)題“陡然增加”的原因是學(xué)生在學(xué)校拼命學(xué)習(xí)，較少接觸戶(hù)外光線。

　　The scientists told the Lancet that up to one in five of these students could experience severe visual impairment and even blindness. In the UK, the average level of myopia is between 20% and 30%。

　　研究者對(duì)權(quán)威醫(yī)學(xué)期刊《柳葉刀》雜志表示，五個(gè)學(xué)生中有一個(gè)可能會(huì)遇到嚴(yán)重的視力障礙，甚至失明。在英國(guó)，平均近視率是20%到30%。

　　According to Professor Ian Morgan, who led this study and is from the Australian National University, 20-30% was once the average among people in South East Asia as well. "What we've done is written a review of all the evidence which suggests that something extraordinary has happened in east Asia in the last two generations," he told BBC News。

　　領(lǐng)導(dǎo)這項(xiàng)研究的是來(lái)自澳大利亞國(guó)立大學(xué)的伊恩·摩根教授。他表示東南亞地區(qū)的平均近視率之前也是在20-30%之間。“我們所做的就是將所有研究結(jié)果落實(shí)書(shū)面形式，證據(jù)表明，在東亞地區(qū)最近兩代人中出現(xiàn)的近視率飆升非同尋常，”他告訴BBC記者說(shuō)。

　　"They've gone from something like 20% myopia in the population to well over 80%， heading for 90% in young adults, and as they get adult it will just spread through the population. It certainly poses a major health problem."

　　“東南亞地區(qū)的近視人口已經(jīng)從大約20%激增至超過(guò)80%，青壯年近視率正在接近90%，隨著他們變?yōu)槌赡耆耍@將影響到整個(gè)人口結(jié)構(gòu)。這必然會(huì)誘發(fā)重大的健康問(wèn)題。”

　　Eye experts say that you are myopic if your vision is blurred beyond 2m (6.6ft). It is often caused by an elongation of the eyeball that happens when people are young. According to the research, the problem is being caused by a combination of factors - a commitment to education and lack of outdoor light。

　　根據(jù)眼科專(zhuān)家的說(shuō)法，如果你的視力超過(guò)2米(6.6英尺)就模糊不清，那你就是近視。其原因通常是由于人們年輕時(shí)眼球拉伸造成的。據(jù)研究，這個(gè)問(wèn)題是由多種因素造成，包括專(zhuān)注學(xué)習(xí)以及較少接觸室外光線。

　　Professor Morgan argues that many children in South East Asia spend long hours studying at school and doing their homework. This in itself puts pressure on the eyes, but exposure to between two and three hours of daylight acts as a counterbalance and helps maintain healthy eyes。

　　摩根教授認(rèn)為，東南亞地區(qū)的許多兒童花大量時(shí)間在校學(xué)習(xí)和做功課。這本身就對(duì)眼睛造成壓力，但接觸兩三個(gè)小時(shí)的日光可起到抗衡作用，并有助于保持健康的眼睛。

　　"We're talking about the need for two to three hours a day of outdoor light - it doesn't have to be massively sunny, we think the operating range is 10-20,000 lux, we're not sure about that - but that's perfectly achievable on a cloudy day in the UK."

　　“我們所說(shuō)的是一天中需要兩到三個(gè)小時(shí)的戶(hù)外光線，并不需要大量的光線。我們認(rèn)為1到2萬(wàn)的勒克斯照明強(qiáng)度就可以，對(duì)此我們不能確定，但在英國(guó)即使陰天也是完全可以做到的。”

　　Massive pressures

　　巨大壓力

　　Cultural factors also seem to play a part. Across many parts of South East Asia, children often have a lunchtime nap. According to Professor Morgan they are missing out on prime light to prevent myopia。

　　文化因素似乎也起著一定作用。在東南亞的許多地區(qū)，兒童往往有午間小睡的習(xí)慣。據(jù)摩根教授說(shuō)，他們錯(cuò)過(guò)了預(yù)防近視的黃金光線。

　　"Children suffer from a double whammy in South East Asia," says Professor Morgan. "As a result of massive educational pressures and the construction of a child's day, the amount of time they spend outside in bright light is minimised."

　　摩根教授說(shuō)：“東南亞孩子是禍不單行”。“由于巨大教育壓力和孩子一天活動(dòng)方式不合理，他們?cè)谑彝庀硎苊髁凉饩€的時(shí)間少之又少。”

　　A big concern is the numbers of students suffering from "high" myopia. According to Professor Morgan, this affects between 10% and 20% of students in Asian cities. It can lead to vision loss, visual impairment and even blindness。

　　患高度近視的學(xué)生人數(shù)增多是一個(gè)大問(wèn)題。據(jù)摩根教授所說(shuō)，在許多亞洲城市中有10%到20%的學(xué)生受此影響。其結(jié)果可能是視力下降、視力障礙，甚至失明。

　　"These people are at considerable risk - sometimes people are not told about it and are just given more powerful glasses - they need to be warned about the risk and given some self-testing measures so they can get to an ophthalmologist and get some help."

　　“這些人都面臨相當(dāng)大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，有時(shí)人們對(duì)此并不了解，而只換戴更大度數(shù)的眼鏡。需要有專(zhuān)家警告他們注意其中相關(guān)的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，并指導(dǎo)他們進(jìn)行一些自我檢測(cè)，這樣他們就能夠去看眼科醫(yī)生并得到一些幫助。”

　　For decades, researchers believed there was a strong genetic component to the condition. It was believed that people from China, Japan, Korea and other countries were particularly susceptible to developing myopia. But this study strongly suggests an alternative view。

　　幾十年來(lái)研究人員一直認(rèn)為，近視具有很強(qiáng)的遺傳成分。據(jù)信中國(guó)、日本、韓國(guó)等國(guó)家的人特別容易發(fā)展成近視。但這次研究卻有力地證明了另一種觀點(diǎn)。

　　In Singapore, where there are large numbers of people from Chinese, Malay and Indian backgrounds, all three ethnic groups have seen a dramatic rise in short-sightedness. Professor Morgan says you cannot rule out genetics completely, but for him it's not the major factor。

　　很多新加坡人來(lái)自中國(guó)、馬來(lái)西亞和印度，這三個(gè)國(guó)家的人口都已出現(xiàn)近視率急劇上升的情況，但新加坡卻沒(méi)有。摩根教授說(shuō)，不能完全排除了遺傳因素的影響，但他認(rèn)為這不是主要因素。

　　"Any type of simple genetic explanation just doesn't fit with that speed of change; gene pools just don't change in two generations. Whether it's a purely environmental effect or an environmental effect playing a sensitive genome, it really doesn't matter, the thing that's changed is not the gene pool - it's the environment."

　　“任何類(lèi)型的簡(jiǎn)單遺傳解釋都無(wú)法說(shuō)明變化的速度之快；基因庫(kù)絕不會(huì)在兩代人時(shí)間內(nèi)發(fā)生變化。無(wú)論這是一個(gè)純粹的環(huán)境影響或環(huán)境對(duì)一個(gè)敏感的基因組產(chǎn)生作用，這其實(shí)并不重要，真正變化的不是基因庫(kù)，而是環(huán)境。”