Shining a deep red light for three minutes a day on your eye, even through the eyelid, can significantly improve vision decline, a new study led by University College London finds, the first of its kind in humans.
Scientists believe the discovery, published this week in the Gerontology magazinesIt could help millions of people around the world with naturally diminishing vision by signaling the start of new affordable home eye therapies.
There are currently around 12 million people over the age of 65 in the UK, and all will have some degree of visual decline due to aging of the retina.
“As you get older, your visual system slows down significantly, particularly once you’re over 40,” said study lead author Professor Glen Jeffery of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
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“His retinal sensitivity and color vision gradually weaken,” he continued. “To try to stop or reverse this decline, we are looking to restart aging cells in the retina with small bursts of longwave light.”
The rate of aging in the retina of an eye is partially established when the mitochondria of cells, whose role is to produce energy (known as ATP) and increase cellular function, begin to decrease.
Mitochondrial density is highest in retinal photoreceptor cells, which have high energy demands. As a result, the retina ages faster than other organs with a 70% reduction in ATP throughout life, causing a significant decrease in the function of photoreceptors, as they lack the energy to perform their normal function. .
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The researchers built on their previous findings in mice, bumble bees, and fruit flies, which found significant improvements in retinal photoreceptor function when their eyes were exposed to deep red light (long wavelength).
“Mitochondria have specific light absorption characteristics that influence their performance: longer wavelengths ranging from 650 to 1000 nm are absorbed and enhance mitochondrial performance to increase energy output, rather than recharging a battery.” Professor Jeffery said.
The retina photoreceptor population is made up of rods that mediate color vision and rods, which provide peripheral vision and adapt vision in low light conditions.
At the start of the study, the sensitivity of their rods and cones to 24 people (12 men, 12 women) between the ages of 28 and 72 years without eye disease was evaluated. The rod sensitivity was measured in adapted dark eyes (with dilated pupils) by asking participants to detect dim light signals in the dark, and the cone function was tested by subjects identifying colored letters that had very low contrast. and they seemed increasingly blurred, a process called color contrast.
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All participants were given a small LED torch to take home and asked to look at their 670nm deep red light beam for three minutes a day for two weeks (participants were free to close their eyes and place them on the devices from the red light) does not leak through the eyelid). They were then retested to determine the sensitivity of their rod and cone.
The researchers found that although the 670nm light had no impact on younger people, significant improvements were obtained in people around the age of 40 or older.
Cone color contrast sensitivity (the ability to detect colors) was improved by up to 20%, particularly in the blue part of the color spectrum that is most vulnerable to aging. The sensitivity of the bar (the ability to see in low light) was also significantly improved, although less than the color contrast.
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“Our devices cost around £ 12, making the technology highly accessible to members of the public.”
“Our study shows that it is possible to significantly improve vision that has decreased in elderly people through simple brief exposures to wavelengths of light that recharge the energy system that has decreased in the cells of the retina,” said Professor Jeffery . “The technology is simple and very safe, using deep red light of a specific wavelength that is absorbed by the mitochondria in the retina to supply energy for cellular function.
This research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Article edited and reprinted from the University of College London
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