苦學(xué)的孩子們，快去曬曬太陽(yáng)

Being nearsighted is far more common than it once was. The prevalence of myopia, the condition’s medical name, in Americans has soared by 66 percent since the early 1970s, according to a 2009 study by the National Eye Institute; in China and other East Asian countries, as many as 90 percent of recent high school graduates are thought to be nearsighted.

近視比以前普遍多了。據(jù)美國(guó)國(guó)家眼科研究所2009年的一項(xiàng)研究顯示，自20世紀(jì)70年代初，美國(guó)人近視的比例飆升了66%;而在中國(guó)和其他東亞國(guó)家，高達(dá)90%的高中畢業(yè)生被視為近視。

Myopia results when eyeballs are longer than normal, changing the angle at which light enters the eye and therefore the ability to focus on distant objects.

當(dāng)眼球比正常情況下長(zhǎng)時(shí)，近視就會(huì)發(fā)生，改變光線進(jìn)入眼睛的角度，從而改變眼睛聚焦遠(yuǎn)處物體的能力。

The disorder involves a complex interplay of genetics and environment and usually begins before adolescence, when the eye is growing, but it can worsen in early adulthood.

這種疾病涉及了遺傳和環(huán)境的復(fù)雜相互作用，通常發(fā)生在青春期之前，那時(shí)候眼睛還在成長(zhǎng)，但在成年初期可能會(huì)惡化。

Some experts connect the elevated rates of myopia to the many hours young people stare at computers and other screens. But a recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests that a greater factor may be a side effect of all that screen-watching — it’s keeping children inside.

一些專家認(rèn)為近視率升高與年輕人長(zhǎng)時(shí)間盯著電腦和其他屏幕有關(guān)。但最近發(fā)表在《美國(guó)醫(yī)學(xué)會(huì)眼科雜志》上的一項(xiàng)研究表明，更重要的因素可能是使孩子長(zhǎng)時(shí)間盯著屏幕看的副作用是讓孩子呆在了室內(nèi)。

This new study joins a growing body of research indicating that a lack of direct sunlight may reshape the human eye and impair vision.

越來(lái)越多的研究表明，缺少與陽(yáng)光的接觸可能會(huì)改變眼睛的形狀，而損害視力。

Strong correlations were found between current eyesight and volunteers’ lifetime exposure to sunlight, above all UVB radiation (which is responsible for burning).

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，志愿者目前的視力與其暴露在陽(yáng)光下(尤其是導(dǎo)致灼傷的中波紫外線輻射)的時(shí)長(zhǎng)有很強(qiáng)的相關(guān)性。

Those who had gotten the most sun, particularly between the ages of 14 and 19, were about 25 percent less likely to have developed myopia by middle age.

那些經(jīng)常曬太陽(yáng)的人，尤其是14歲到19歲之間的人，中年近視的可能性要低25%。

Exposure to sunlight up to the age of 30 also conferred a protective benefit.

30歲之前曬曬太陽(yáng)也有保護(hù)作用。

This relationship held true even when the researchers controlled for education as a marker primarily of time spent reading and gazing at screens.

即使研究人員把教育作為閱讀和盯著屏幕看的主要原因，這種關(guān)系仍然成立。