澳大利亚：小学生必须戴太阳镜

There was a time when wearing sunglasses would have been seen as too cool for school, but for pupils at a primary school in Australia they are now a compulsory part of the uniform.

The move is aimed at protecting young eyes from the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays, and education authorities say they are considering adopting the plan at all state schools.

The headmaster of Sydney's Arncliffe Public School, where sunglasses are now compulsory for children from kindergarten through Year 6, said they had no problems wearing the glasses in the playground.

The "sunnies" as they are called in Australia, would soon become "routine" for the pupils, Stephan Vrachas said.

The education minister of New South Wales state said the government would consider making sunglasses compulsory in all public school playgrounds.

"It is conceivable that it might be appropriate to wear sunglasses when they are playing in the sun," John Della Bosca told reporters.

Excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays, already blamed for skin cancers, can also lead to cataracts, experts say.

A specialist at Sydney Eye Hospital said that wraparound glasses were the best for eye protection and children should be encouraged to wear them from the age of three or four.

Sunglasses were particularly important in summer, when ultraviolet exposure was up to five times higher than in winter, said Con Petsoglou.

戴墨镜上学在过去一定会被认为过于前卫，而澳大利亚一所小学日前规定，学生必须戴墨镜上学。

这一举措主要是为了保护孩子们的眼睛不受紫外线伤害，教育界的权威人士称，他们正在考虑在所有的州立学校实施这一举措。

悉尼阿恩克里弗公立学校的校长说，学生们在操场上活动时戴墨镜都没什么问题。目前该校从幼儿园到六年级的学生都必须戴墨镜。

史蒂芬·弗拉卡斯校长说，墨镜（在澳洲被称为sunnies）不久后将成为小学生们的“必需品”。

新南威尔斯州的教育部长称，政府将考虑把‘学生室外活动时必须戴墨镜’的举措推广至各个公立学校。

约翰·戴拉·博斯卡在接受记者采访时说：“孩子们在太阳下面玩耍时应该戴墨镜，这是可想而知的。”

据专家介绍，受紫外线过度照射不仅会导致皮肤癌，而且可能导致白内障。

悉尼眼科医院的一位专科医师说，宽边墨镜保护眼睛的效果最好，儿童从三四岁起就应该开始佩戴。