Half of the world’s population may soon be in need of glasses. According to a troubling recent study, scientists are predicting that by 2050, close to five billion people will be nearsighted. The study also predicts an increase in severe myopia, which can lead to blindness.
世界上一半的人在不久的將來需要佩戴眼鏡。最近，一個令人不安的研究顯示，科學(xué)家預(yù)計2050年將有接近50億的人患近視。該研究還預(yù)計高度近視人數(shù)也會增加，高度近視極易導(dǎo)致失明。

According to EurekAlert!, a sevenfold increase in nearsightedness is predicted from 2000 to 2050, and up to one in 10 people around the globe may eventually be at risk for blindness. Scientists aren’t sure what is causing such extreme increases in nearsightedness, though they believe environmental factors are likely the culprit.
據(jù)EurekAlert網(wǎng)站（美國科學(xué)促進會主辦的全球互聯(lián)網(wǎng)新聞服務(wù)）報道，從2000年到2050年，患近視人數(shù)將增長7倍，世界各地的人中每十個就有一個將最終面臨失明的風(fēng)險?？茖W(xué)家們不確定是什么原因?qū)е陆暼藬?shù)劇增，但他們認為環(huán)境因素可能是罪魁禍?zhǔn)住?/span>

Scientists are working on pinpointing the exact causes of, and possible cures for, myopia. So far, they know that light plays an important role in eye development, and that by depriving developing eyes of light, they can induce myopia in animals.
科學(xué)家們正致力于找出近視的確切原因以及可能的治療方法。到目前為止，他們知道光在眼睛發(fā)育過程中發(fā)揮重要作用，通過阻礙動物眼睛發(fā)育過程中攝入的光，可以誘導(dǎo)動物近視。

Unfortunately, exposure to bright light doesn’t reverse myopia in all cases, and the technique hasn't been tested on human subjects. In general, it’s difficult for scientists to pinpoint the exact causes of human myopia, and therefore its cure, since human testing usually isn’t possible.
不幸的是，并非在所有情況下暴露于明亮的燈光中都能逆轉(zhuǎn)近視，且這項技術(shù)還沒有在人體上進行試驗。一般情況下，科學(xué)家們很難找到人類近視的確切原因，因而很難發(fā)現(xiàn)治愈方法，而且人體試驗通常不太可能實現(xiàn)。

But studies have found a general link between spending time outdoors as a kid and reduced risk of myopia. Until a cure is found, scientists are recommending more frequent trips to the optometrist for risk assessments. It may also be a good idea to reduce screen time and make enjoying the great outdoors a higher priority.
但研究發(fā)現(xiàn)了孩童時期在戶外所花費的時間和降低近視風(fēng)險之間的一般聯(lián)系。在找到治愈近視的方法之前，科學(xué)家建議人們經(jīng)常去找驗光師做視力風(fēng)險評估。減少對著屏幕的時間，多進行戶外活動也是極好的。

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