A short burst of red light in the morning has been shown to improve declining eyesight, researchers report, potentially providing a simple, safe, and easy-to-use treatment for keeping our eyes sharper as we head into old age.
In tests on 20 people, who were exposed to three minutes of red light in the morning, their eyesight improved by 17 percent and lasted a week on average. The improvement was as much as 20 percent in some of the volunteers.
The link between long wavelength red light and improving vision matches up with what scientists have seen in previous studies on animals, and the study follows on from a similar one carried out last year, but in this case, the red light was limited to a single, daily exposure that required less red light
Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist from University College London, says that using a simpleLED device once a week will replenish the energy system that has declined in the retina cells.
The study confirms that morning exposure is the key to achieving improvements in declining vision, as we have previously seen in flies.
The team already knew that they're more receptive in the morning, and it's the mitochondria in the eye that the red light is hitting.
The cones and rods that make up the photoreceptors in the retina are used for adapting to low light. The team assessed color contrast sensitivity after exposure to the red light.
The tests on six people using red light treatment daily between 12 pm and 1 pm didn't show a change in vision, and it was confirmed that the mitochondria aren't as responsive to deep red light in the same way later on in the day.
The University College London.
Dr. Pardis Kaynezhad has a red light over her eye that stimulates the mitochondria in her cells.
Jeffery says thatMitochondria have specific sensitivities to long wavelength light. The longer wavelength improves the performance of the mitochondria to increase energy production.
Aging is caused by the slowing down of the power supplies in the cells of the human retina, when we reach the age of 40 or so. As the retina's photoreceptors need more energy, they age faster.
The study used a low-energy device that people could apply quickly. It's probably safe to use, as 670 nanometer IR light isn't much different from the natural environment.
The researchers caution that some of their data is noisy, and that the level of improvement did vary between participants, even those of similar age. Future studies could look at other variables that might affect the results.
"This simple intervention would have a significant impact on quality of life as people age and would likely result in reduced social costs that arise from problems associated with reduced vision," says Jeffery.
The research has been published.
