Declining eyesight could be caused by various factors, such as aging and genetics. Now, researchers from the University College London have found a way to restore vision without invasive surgery. They said that three minutes of a simple activity could “significantly improve” the declining eyesight.
Example of the handheld LED torch used in the study. (PHOTO: University College London)
Declining Eyesight Due to Aging
In the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers explain that eyesight tends to decline with age when the mitochondria of the photoreceptor cells start to deteriorate and become less efficient in generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Study author Professor Glen Jeffrey said that the performance of the mitochondria could be influenced by specific sensitivities to long wavelengths. The longer the wavelength, particularly between 650 to 900 nanometers, means improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production.
Red light therapy can be done at home, but scientists are still developing specific nanometer frequencies to improve eyesight. However, researchers warn that their study must be taken with a pinch of salt as there could be other possible variables between people and the improvements they felt after the red light therapy that the research has not identified so far.
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Near-Infrared Red Light Exposure Early in the Morning Improves Vision
According to IFL Science, the team based their research on previous studies that showed long-wave light can boost mitochondrial performance. The team then started to experiment with the deep red color and demonstrated how these wavelengths store function in the cells.
In 2020, they first did three-minute daily exposure to deep red light for two weeks and found improved color vision on 22% of their participants who were over 40 years old.
This year, they found that even a single exposure can generate similar benefits when they had their participants stare at a deep red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers between 8 am and 9 am. Participants sustained the benefits for a full week, although no changes were observed in their color vision when the experiment was repeated.
“One single exposure to long-wave deep red light in the morning can significantly improve declining vision, which is a major health and wellbeing issue, affecting millions of people globally,” Professor Jeffery explained in a statement.
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