上班族注意了,護眼之道面面觀大綱

Aging eyes bring more than crow's feet and wrinkles. It's what you can't see -- the health of your eyes -- that is the bigger concern, doctors say. By the age of 40, many people may begin coping with vision problems they didn't have before. These might include dry eyes and presbyopia, or an inability to focus on objects that are close up, and can leave people feeling fatigued and headachy by the end of the workday. Genetics largely determines how our eyes age. But new research suggests that nutrition and environment can lessen some of the risks to eye health and vision.

眼睛老化帶來的不止是魚尾紋和皺紋。醫生說，人們無法直接看見的東西──你雙眼的健康──纔是更令人擔憂的事。很多人到了40歲的年紀可能就得開始應對視力問題，而這些是他們之前從未遇到過的。這些毛病包括乾眼病和老花眼，後者的症狀是近距離視物困難，可能會讓人在一天工作結束時感到疲勞和頭痛。我們的雙眼如何老化在很大程度上是由遺傳決定的。但新研究表明，良好的營養和環境能減少眼睛健康和視力所面臨的風險。

As people get older, 'The lens of your eye gradually loses the ability to focus in and out the way it used to,' said Julia Haller, ophthalmologist-in-chief at Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia. 'Some people refuse to wear reading glasses . . . and really fight it. They may hold out a little longer but eventually we all succumb to the inevitable.'

費城威爾斯眼科醫院(Wills Eye Hospital)首席眼科醫師茱莉亞•哈勒(Julia Haller)說，隨着年紀的增長，“你眼睛的晶狀體會逐漸喪失過去那種聚焦調節的功能。有些人拒絕佩戴老花鏡……並與之鬥爭。你的雙眼可能會再堅持一段時間，但最終，我們所有人都得向這一必然趨勢低頭”。

While we can't win against Mother Nature, some strategies can minimize the damage. Avoid self-prescribing with, say, off-the-shelf reading glasses sold at drugstores, says Gary Etting, an optometrist who specializes in vision therapy in Los Angeles. People often select glasses that appear to make things clearest, he said. But this may be a stronger prescription than they need, which can encourage their loss of focus to go faster.

雖然我們不能戰勝自然規律，但有些措施能減少我們受到的損害。洛杉磯專攻視覺治療的驗光師加里•埃廷(Gary Etting)說，不要進行自我診斷，說什麼藥店裏就有現成的老花鏡出售。他說人們常常挑選那些貌似讓視線變得最清晰的眼鏡。但這種選擇對他們的實際需求而言可能是一種過強的處方，會加速他們聚焦能力的喪失。

Also, glasses you need for reading may be different than ones you need when using a computer, he said. 'So people who wear their reading glasses on the computer can also be encouraging their eyes to weaken faster.'

埃廷說，此外，你閱讀時需要佩戴的眼鏡和你用電腦時要戴的眼鏡可能並不一樣。“所以那些在用電腦時卻佩戴讀書鏡的人也是在導致眼睛加速弱化。”

Scientists have been studying ways to prevent vision problems in young people, which also might help protect eyes as they age. Two studies published in the May issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, suggest that spending time outdoors may help minimize or prevent nearsightedness, or myopia, in children. Myopia can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. But it can also be a precursor to severe myopia in adulthood, which is linked to the later development of eye disorders such as glaucoma and retinal detachment.

科學家一直在研究幫助年輕人預防視力問題的方法，這些方法可能在人們老了的時候也有助於護眼。在五月刊的美國眼科學會(American Academy of Ophthalmology)雜誌《眼科學》(Ophthalmology)上發表了論文的兩項研究表明，戶外活動可能有助於兒童預防近視或緩解近視症狀。近視眼可以通過佩戴框架眼鏡或隱形眼鏡得到矯正，但近視也會成爲成年後高度近視的先兆，而高度近視又與日後的青光眼、視網膜脫落等眼疾的形成息息相關。

One of the studies, involving 571 students in Taiwan, compared changes in eyesight over a year between a group of children that had outside recess and another that didn't require going outdoors. The other study, in Denmark, compared detailed eye measurements of 235 nearsighted children taken during periods of longer and shorter days.

其中一項研究比較了兩組兒童一年中的視力變化情況，其中一組兒童進行了戶外休息，而另一組卻沒被要求這樣做，共有571名臺灣學生參與了這一研究。另一項研究在丹麥進行，比較了235名近視兒童的各項眼睛參數，這些參數是在日長各異的不同時期測得的。

Some researchers believe the effect could be related to oxygen exposure or the amount of light exposure causing the pupil to constrict. It could also result from children focusing at far distances for extended periods. 'I think the conclusion we're most comfortable drawing is that the jury is still out on that,' said Rachel Bishop, chief of consult services of the National Eye Institute, who wasn't affiliated with the studies. Other possible reasons, such as greater physical activity when outside or less time spent looking at screens indoors, seem less likely, she said.

一些研究人員相信，戶外活動產生的影響可能與氧暴露或光照量相關，光照會令人的瞳孔收縮。這種影響的產生也可能是因爲孩子們遠眺的時間延長了。美國國家眼科研究所(National Eye Institute)諮詢服務主管雷切爾•畢夏普(Rachel Bishop)說：“我認爲，目前我們得出的最令人欣慰的結論就是：一切都尚無定論。”她還說，其他一些可能的原因，比如在戶外進行了強度較大的身體活動或在室內盯着屏幕看的時間減少了，似乎更不可能成立。畢夏普並未參與上述兩項研究。

Being outdoors also presents risks. Ultraviolet-light exposure potentially causes melanoma and contributes to the development of cataracts. Damaging rays from the sun are cumulative, so experts recommend wearing protective sunglasses and hats starting at a young age. Howard Purcell, an optometrist and senior vice president of customer development at Dallas-based Essilor of America, a manufacturer of optical lenses, says sunglasses should block UV light. Look for sunglasses with an eye-sun protection factor (E-SPF) between 25 and 50, he said.

呆在戶外也會面臨着風險。紫外線照射可能會引發黑色素瘤並助長白內障的形成。太陽長年累月地發出有害射線，因此專家們建議，人們從小就該戴上防護性太陽鏡和太陽帽。總部設在達拉斯的依視路美國公司(Essilor of America)是一家光學鏡片生產商，該公司客戶拓展部高級副總裁、驗光師霍華德•珀塞爾(Howard Purcell)說，太陽鏡必須要能夠阻擋紫外線。他說，要挑選那些鏡片防曬係數(E-SPF)在25到50之間的太陽鏡。

Many eye-vitamin formulations currently on the market are based on research conducted by the National Institutes of Health in a project called Age-Related Eye Disease Study, or AREDS. The first phase of the clinical trial, completed in 2001, found that a specific combination of vitamins C and E, along with beta-carotene and zinc, reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration by as much as 25%. AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness in older people.

目前市面上許多護眼維生素配方都是基於美國國立衛生研究院(National Institutes of Health)進行的一項研究製成的，該研究是一個名爲年齡相關性眼病研究(Age-Related Eye Disease Study,簡稱AREDS)的項目的內容，其臨牀試驗的第一個階段於2001年完成。研究人員在該階段發現，維生素C、維生素E按某種比例的配方組合加上β-胡蘿蔔素和鋅將年齡相關性黃斑變性發病風險減少了25%。年齡相關性黃斑變性是老年人致盲的主要原因之一。

In the second phase of AREDS, to be published in this month's Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers identified additional nutritional supplements -- the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, found in foods such as spinach, kale and broccoli -- that further reduce the risk and progression of AMD, especially when a person's diet is already low in these nutrients. The study found a similar beneficial effect for people with cataracts who don't normally get a lot of lutein and zeaxanthin in their diet.

在年齡相關性眼病研究的第二個階段，研究人員確定了額外的營養補充元素──菠菜、甘藍菜和西蘭花等蔬菜中富含的葉黃素和玉米黃質──它們能進一步減少年齡相關性黃斑變性的發病風險、減緩病情，尤其是對飲食中上述營養素含量本來很低的人羣更有效。該研究發現，這些營養素對那些日常飲食中缺乏葉黃素和玉米黃質的白內障患者有着相似的積極作用。這一研究成果發表在五月刊的《美國醫學會雜誌》(Journal of the American Medical Association)上。

The latest part of the study, which involved about 4,000 participants, also looked at the effect of replacing beta-carotene in the supplements formulation with lutein and zeaxanthin because of studies that found former smokers who take beta-carotene have a higher incidence of lung cancer. Researchers found a 20% improvement in progression to advanced AMD with the replacement, said Emily Chew, deputy director of epidemiology and clinical application for the National Eye Institute, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.

這項研究的最後一部分共涉及約4,000名參與者，它探討了用葉黃素和玉米黃質來代替補充配方中β-胡蘿蔔素的影響，因爲衆多研究表明，曾經是菸民的人攝入β-胡蘿蔔素後，罹患肺癌的風險會更高。美國國家眼科研究所流行病學與臨牀應用部門副主任埃米莉•周(Emily Chew)說，研究人員發現，在服用替代營養素後，有20%的患者病變至年齡相關性黃斑變性晚期的過程有所改善。美國國家眼科研究所是美國國立衛生研究院的一個分支機構。

Dr. Chew said the AREDS study researchers recommend replacing the beta-carotene in supplements with lutein and zeaxanthin. Benefits from the supplements have been found only in people who are at high risk for advanced AMD or already have it in one eye.

周博士說，年齡相關性眼病研究的工作人員建議用葉黃素和玉米黃質來替代補充配方中的β-胡蘿蔔素。但該配方的益處僅僅只在那些晚期年齡相關性黃斑變性高發人羣或者已有一隻眼患上此疾的病人身上顯現。

Some eye experts say omega-3s, found commonly in fish and nuts, appear to play a protective role in eye health with both the retina and cornea. This includes help with the dry eyes that many people, especially women, experience in their 50s. Anne Sumers, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a practicing ophthalmologist in Ridgewood, N.J., said consuming flax seed, either as a pill or sprinkled on food, can help treat dry eyes.

一些眼科專家說，常見於魚類和堅果中的Ω-3脂肪酸看來能對包括視網膜和角膜在內的眼部健康起到保護作用，包括對乾眼病也有幫助。許多人在進入50歲後就易患上乾眼病，尤其是女性。美國眼科學會(American Academy of Ophthalmology)發言人、新澤西州瑞吉伍德市(Ridgewood)執業眼科醫師安妮•蘇美爾(Anne Sumers)說，進食亞麻籽，不論是吃藥片還是把亞麻籽撒在食物上吃，都有助於治療乾眼病。

Too much time staring at electronic screens has given rise to another problem: computer-vision syndrome. To relax the eyes, some experts recommend that for every 20 minutes spent staring at a computer, people should take a break for 20 seconds and look at least 20 feet away, ideally out a window.

長時間盯着電子屏幕看也引發了另一個問題：電腦視覺綜合症。一些專家建議，爲了放鬆雙眼，人們在盯着電腦工作的時候，應該每隔20分鐘就休息20秒、並遠眺至少20英尺，最好是看看窗外。

The decision to go to an optometrist versus an ophthalmologist is a personal one. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who spend most of their time managing eye diseases and performing surgeries rather than prescribing eyeglasses. Optometrists' main focus is prescribing eyeglasses, as well as screening for eye diseases. If getting an eye checkup, be sure -- particularly if you're 40 and over -- that the optometrist does a comprehensive dilated eye exam to observe the pupil opened up in order to see the retina.

至於到底是去看驗光師還是眼科醫生，這就看個人選擇了。眼科醫師是醫學博士，他們將大部分時間都花在治眼疾、做手術上而非配眼鏡上。驗光師則專注於校配眼鏡，他們也負責檢查眼疾。如果想要進行一次眼科檢查──尤其是如果你已年屆40或年過40的話──那一定要驗光師實施全面的散瞳眼底檢查，即觀察放大後的瞳孔以檢查視網膜的情況。