Eye Sight Problems? Recent Study Shows How It Can Be Improved Using Deep Red Light

Researchers from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology analyzed the effects of deep red light weekly three-minute exposure on a person's color & contrast sensitivity.

What is Color & Contrast Sensitivity?

According to CVI Scotland, contrast vision is how good a person is at telling the different shades of grey in colors from each other. It is measured via how big a difference in grey is necessary for two shades of grey to be told apart.

A person's reduced sensitivity can impact how the person sees and can cause images to appear faded or washed. It is possible to have perfectly healthy eyesight but have low color contrast sensitivity.

How Deep Red Light Treatment Improves Declining Color Contrast Sensitivity?

A team of researchers from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology investigated how short deep red light treatments can improve eye health.

In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, titled "Weeklong improved colour contrasts sensitivity after single 670 nm exposures associated with enhanced mitochondrial function," researchers observed an average of 17% improvement in the participant's color contrast vision.

Researchers tested 20 participants exposed to three minutes of deep red light, 670 nanometers, in the morning between 8-9 in the morning, which showed improved eyesight that lasted a week on average—noting that some of the volunteers had over 20% improvement in their color contrast sensitivity.

The positive relationship between long-wavelength red light and improved vision matches scientists' recent studies on animals. A similar study was conducted previously where the red light was limited to a single daily exposure requiring less red light energy.

Professor Glen Jeffery, the lead author, explains that the recent treatment can significantly improve declining vision. The simple intervention or long-wavelength red light when applied at the population level could impact the quality of life for people as they age and would likely result in reduced social costs that come from problems linked with reduced vision, reports AOP.

He adds that using an LED device once a week can recharge the energy system that declines in the retina cells, which causes the decline in vision, where morning exposure is of the utmost importance in achieving significant improvement in a person's declining vision.

The eye's mitochondria are vital for a person's eye health. The team knew that these cells are more receptive during mornings when the organelles are recharged by exposure to red light, resulting in more energy produced. The photoreceptors in the eye's retina, where mitochondria are more densely collected, are composed of cones and rods. The team focused on the cone-like structures to assess the color contrast sensitivity of the eye after short deep red exposure treatment.

Follow-up tests on 6 participants using the red light treatment every day from 12-1 in the afternoon did not have any changes in terms of their vision health. This confirms that the mitochondria on the retina aren't responsive at all to the red light treatment.