亞洲的孩子爲什麼大多戴眼鏡？

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.
近期的一項研究表明，在亞洲主要城市中，高達90%的畢業生都患有近視。 研究人員說，這一問題“陡然增加”的原因是學生在學校拼命學習，較少接觸戶外光線。

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%.
研究者對權威醫學期刊《柳葉刀》雜誌表示，五個學生中有一個可能會遇到嚴重的視力障礙，甚至失明。在英國，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.
領導這項研究的是來自澳大利亞國立大學的伊恩·摩根教授。他表示東南亞地區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果落實書面形式，證據表明，在東亞地區最近兩代人中出現的近視率飆升非同尋常，”他告訴BBC記者說。

"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."
“東南亞地區的近視人口已經從大約20%激增至超過80%，青壯年近視率正在接近90%，隨着他們變爲成年人，這將影響到整個人口結構。這必然會誘發重大的健康問題。”

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.
根據眼科專家的說法，如果你的視力超過2米（6.6英尺）就模糊不清，那你就是近視。其原因通常是由於人們年輕時眼球拉伸造成的。據研究，這個問題是由多種因素造成，包括專注學習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.
摩根教授認爲，東南亞地區的許多兒童花大量時間在校學習和做功課。這本身就對眼睛造成壓力，但接觸兩三個小時的日光可起到抗衡作用，並有助於保持健康的眼睛。

"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."
“我們所說的是一天中需要兩到三個小時的戶外光線，並不需要大量的光線。我們認爲1到2萬的勒克斯照明強度就可以，對此我們不能確定，但在英國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.
文化因素似乎也起着一定作用。在東南亞的許多地區，兒童往往有午間小睡的習慣。據摩根教授說，他們錯過了預防近視的黃金光線。

"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：“東南亞孩子是禍不單行”。“由於巨大教育壓力和孩子一天活動方式不合理，他們在室外享受明亮光線的時間少之又少。”

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.
患高度近視的學生人數增多是一個大問題。據摩根教授所說，在許多亞洲城市中有10%到20%的學生受此影響。其結果可能是視力下降、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."
“這些人都面臨相當大的風險，有時人們對此並不瞭解，而只換戴更大度數的眼鏡。需要有專家警告他們注意其中相關的風險，並指導他們進行一些自我檢測，這樣他們就能夠去看眼科醫生並得到一些幫助。”

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.
幾十年來研究人員一直認爲，近視具有很強的遺傳成分。據信中國、日本、韓國等國家的人特別容易發展成近視。但這次研究卻有力地證明了另一種觀點。

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.
很多新加坡人來自中國、馬來西亞和印度，目前在新加坡有這三個國家背景的人羣都已出現近視率急劇上升的情況。摩根教授說不能完全排除了遺傳因素的影響，但他認爲這不是主要因素。

"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."
“任何類型的簡單遺傳解釋都無法說明變化的速度之快；基因庫絕不會在兩代人時間內發生變化。無論這是一個純粹的環境影響或環境對一個敏感的基因組產生作用，這其實並不重要，真正變化的不是基因庫，而是環境。”