小孩也要戴太阳镜？Do kids need to wear sunglasses?

Q: Do kids need to wear sunglasses? A: Yes, the earlier children wear sunglasses the better they're protected from eye conditions in later life. 小孩子也应该戴太阳镜吗？ 对，太阳镜戴得越早对孩子未来的眼保护越有利。

It's habit to slather kids in sunscreen and pop on their hats before they go out in the sun. But do your kids wear sunglasses? Have you ever wondered if they need to?
烈日当头，孩子出门前，你习惯地给他抹上大量的防晒霜，戴上帽子，但是你给他们太阳镜吗？你是否确实考虑过他们有此必要吗？

Well, kids should definitely wear sunglasses while they are outside, says Dr Michael Jones, paediatric eye specialist at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Sydney Eye Hospital, NSW.
孩子们户外活动时的确应该戴太阳镜，Westmead儿童医院及悉尼眼科医院的小儿眼科专家Michael Jones医生说。

In fact, wearing sunglasses as a youngster can help protect against the most common eye conditions that develop later in life.
实际上，小孩佩戴太阳镜对预防他未来一生中一些最常见的眼科疾患都有作用。

We tend to forget that a lot of our sun exposure happens when we are children, when we spend a lot of time outdoors in direct sunlight, Jones says.
我们一定忘记了，我们一生中户外活动最多，暴露于阳光直射之下时间最长的是儿童时期，Jones说。

UV light from the sun is a form of radiation and it can damage cells in the eye.
阳光中的紫外线对可对眼球中的细胞造成损伤。

There's no firm evidence that children's eyes are more susceptible to UV light than adults'. But we do know the longer eyes are exposed without protection the more damage they accumulate from these harmful rays.
虽然目前没有证据表明儿童的眼睛比成人更容易受到紫外线的伤害，但是我们确实知道在无保护的情况下，眼损伤是可以积累的。

Common eye conditions
常见的眼科疾患

UV radiation can cause cells on the surface of the eye or inside the eye to divide abnormally.
紫外线辐射可导致眼球表面或眼球内的细胞分化异常。

This can in turn cause the development of tumours, which can be benign or malignant (cancerous).
由此，可引起眼部良性或恶性肿瘤。

Eye cancer is relatively rare in Australia with less than 500 cases a year.
眼部肿瘤在澳洲相对罕见，每年少于500例。

Pterygium, or Surfer's Eye, is a benign growth in the eye that is extremely common in the coastal regions of Australia and is caused by sun exposure.
翼状胬肉，又称“冲浪者眼”，是澳洲海边居民最常见的良性疾病，这也是由于长期暴露于阳光之下所致。

The growth affects the cornea, which is the transparent dome that covers the eye and helps it focus, and the conjunctiva, which is the thin, transparent tissue that covers the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid.
此胬肉生长影响角膜，角膜是眼表面透明且有一定屈光作用而帮助聚焦的，结膜是一层薄薄的透明组织，覆盖于眼白和眼睑内侧。

"If you spend a lot of time in the sun and don't wear sunglasses the stem cells around the cornea and the conjunctiva don't stay very healthy and you can get the conjunctiva growing over the cornea," Jones says.
“假如你没有戴太阳镜并且在阳光下呆得太久，角膜周围的干细胞和结膜就不能保持健康，结膜就爬到角膜上去了”Jones说。

"We see more of this condition in Australia than anywhere else in the world due to our high levels of sun exposure. Often times they need surgery because they are uncomfortable or affecting vision. You can prevent changes in the eye over a lifetime, so wearing sunglasses should start early," he says.
“我们发现，由于过高水平的阳光照射，翼状胬肉在澳洲比世界任何地方都多。这个病常常不得不接受手术治疗，因为翼状胬肉令患者不适且影响视力。为预防生这种病，就要从小戴太阳镜”他说。

Sun exposure is also thought to negatively affect the eye's lens, which helps refract light, the retina, which is a thin layer of tissue that lines the inner eye and captures light, and the macula, which is part of the retina and is responsible for detailed central vision.
暴露于阳光之下对眼球中的晶状体也有害。晶状体起到折射光线聚焦于视网膜的作用。视网膜是眼球内的一层感受光线的细胞，其中的黄斑部分是人们做负责细致观察的中央视野。

This contributes in some part to diseases s