Researchers at University College London have found that exposure to red light (670 nm) can improve vision among those aged 40+.

Lead author, Professor Glen Jeffery (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) said: “As you age your visual system declines significantly, particularly once over 40. Your retinal sensitivity and your color vision are both gradually undermined, and with an aging population, this is an increasingly important issue. To try to stem or reverse this decline, we sought to reboot the retina’s aging cells with short bursts of long-wave light.”

Building on previous research with mice, bumblebees, and fruit flies, 24 human subjects (half male, half female), aged between 28 and 72, who had no ocular disease, were recruited. All participants’ eyes were tested for the sensitivity of their rods and cones at the start of the study. Rod sensitivity was measured in dark adapted eyes (with pupils dilated) by asking participants to detect dim light signals in the dark, and cone function was tested by subjects identifying colored letters that had very low contrast and appeared increasingly blurred, a process called color contrast.

All participants were then given a small customized LED flashlights to take home and were asked to look into its deep red 670nm light beam for three minutes a day for two weeks. (Eyes could be closed as the red light is not filtered by the eyelid). They were then re-tested for their rod and cone sensitivity.

The researchers found the 670nm light had no impact in younger individuals, but in those around 40 years and over, significant improvements were obtained–an up to 20% improvement in cone color contrast sensitivity, with more significant improvement in the blue portion for color spectrum. Rod sensitivity (the ability to see in low light) also improved significantly in those aged around 40 and over, though less than color contrast.

Professor Jeffery said: “Our study shows that it is possible to significantly improve vision that has declined in aged individuals using simple brief exposures to light wavelengths that recharge the energy system that has declined in the retina cells, rather like re-charging a battery. The technology is simple and very safe, using a deep red light of a specific wavelength, that is absorbed by mitochondria in the retina that supply energy for cellular function.  Our devices cost about £12 to make, so the technology is highly accessible to members of the public.”

Craig DiLouie

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