惊叹亚洲90%的毕业生近视

惊叹亚洲90%的毕业生近视

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。

　　近期的一项研究表明，在亚洲主要城市中，高达90%的毕业生都患有近视。 研究人员说，这一问题“陡然增加”的原因是学生在学校拼命学习，较少接触户外光线。

　　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%。

　　研究者对权威医学期刊《柳叶刀》杂志表示，五个学生中有一个可能会遇到严重的视力障碍，甚至失明。在英国，平均近视率是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。

　　领导这项研究的是来自澳大利亚国立大学的伊恩·摩根教授。他表示东南亚地区的平均近视率之前也是在20-30%之间。“我们所做的就是将所有研究结果落实书面形式，证据表明，在东亚地区最近两代人中出现的近视率飙升非同寻常，”他告诉BBC记者说。

　　"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."

　　“东南亚地区的近视人口已经从大约20%激增至超过80%，青壮年近视率正在接近90%，随着他们变为成年人，这将影响到整个人口结构。这必然会诱发重大的健康问题。”

　　Eye experts say that you are myopic² if your vision is blurred³ 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。

　　根据眼科专家的说法，如果你的视力超过2米(6.6英尺)就模糊不清，那你就是近视。其原因通常是由于人们年轻时眼球拉伸造成的。据研究，这个问题是由多种因素造成，包括专注学习以及较少接触室外光线。

　　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。

　　摩根教授认为，东南亚地区的许多儿童花大量时间在校学习和做功课。这本身就对眼睛造成压力，但接触两三个小时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 perfectly⁴ achievable on a cloudy day in the UK."

　　“我们所说的是一天中需要两到三个小时的户外光线，并不需要大量的光线。我们认为1到2万的勒克斯照明强度就可以，对此我们不能确定，但在英国即使阴天也是完全可以做到的。”

　　由于巨大教育压力和孩子一天活动方式不合理，他们在室外享受明亮光线的时间少之又少。

　　Massive pressures

　　巨大压力

　　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。在东南亚的许多地区，儿童往往有午间小睡的习惯。据摩根教授说，他们错过了预防近视的黄金光线。

　　"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."

　　摩根教授说：“东南亚孩子是祸不单行”。“由于巨大教育压力和孩子一天活动方式不合理，他们在室外享受明亮光线的时间少之又少。”

　　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。

　　患高度近视的学生人数增多是一个大问题。据摩根教授所说，在许多亚洲城市中有10%到20%的学生受此影响。其结果可能是视力下降、视力障碍，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."

　　“这些人都面临相当大的风险，有时人们对此并不了解，而只换戴更大度数的眼镜。需要有专家警告他们注意其中相关的风险，并指导他们进行一些自我检测，这样他们就能够去看眼科医生并得到一些帮助。”

　　For decades, researchers believed there was a strong genetic⁵ component⁶ to the condition. It was believed that people from China, Japan, Korea and other countries were particularly susceptible⁷ to developing myopia. But this study strongly suggests an alternative view。

　　几十年来研究人员一直认为，近视具有很强的遗传成分。据信中国、日本、韩国等国家的人特别容易发展成近视。但这次研究却有力地证明了另一种观点。

　　In Singapore, where there are large numbers of people from Chinese, Malay and Indian backgrounds, all three ethnic⁸ 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。

　　很多新加坡人来自中国、马来西亚和印度，这三个国家的人口都已出现近视率急剧上升的情况，但新加坡却没有。摩根教授说，不能完全排除了遗传因素的影响，但他认为这不是主要因素。

　　"Any type of simple genetic explanation just doesn't fit with that speed of change; gene¹ pools just don't change in two generations. Whether it's a purely⁹ 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."

　　“任何类型的简单遗传解释都无法说明变化的速度之快；基因库绝不会在两代人时间内发生变化。无论这是一个纯粹的环境影响或环境对一个敏感的基因组产生作用，这其实并不重要，真正变化的不是基因库，而是环境。”

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 myopic   

adj.目光短浅的，缺乏远见的

参考例句：

• The Government still has a myopic attitude to spending.政府在开支问题上仍然目光短浅。
• Myopic views could be potentially damaging for us.目光短浅会给我们带来严重的后果。

3 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

6 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

7 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

8 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

9 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。