Does red light Repair and improve our eyes? Yes. Red Light Helps to Protect and Heal the Eyes. Much of our progress as a human is now at the mercy of help scientific research and technological advancement; red light therapy is a safe and natural treatment option that protects and heals your eyes. While it may sound weird, it was observed to work In multiple studies. Red light and infrared light are safe and effective for vision health. Red light therapy treatments with red and near-infrared wavelengths aren’t just safe for the eyes. They’re also a proven way to help heal eye injuries, reduce inflammation, and protect against vision loss, as shown in numerous peer-reviewed clinical studies.
Three minutes of exposure to red light can improve a person’s vision. According to a study by researchers working out from the labs of University College London in the United Kingdom, a straightforward application of the right kind of light can substantially reduce the signs of a declining vision. The study indicates that a three-minute exposure to deep red light in the morning hours one time a week effectively improves vision.
This research started their experiment with flies and mice before engaging human participants. The lead scientists
Prof. Glen Jeffery says, “It does not matter what the animal is or, to some extent, what the cell is, the light will impact.” according to a report from Medical News Today.
The deep red light the researchers used was a particular color shade with a wavelength of 670 nanometers. This report appeared in the scientific journal Scientific Report.
Retinal mitochondria improved
The improvement in vision due to the red light exposure was due to its influence on the retinal mitochondria, explained Prof. Jeffery. “These are highly conserved energy sources in cells — they are the cells’ batteries. The light increases the charge of the mitochondria and allows them to increase their energy output that has declined with age or disease.”
The chemical source of that energy is adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
Eye and sight function with age
Human eyesight efficacy decreases as we age, especially after the age of 40 years, and is linked with a 70% reduction in ATP, meaning that the cells lack the energy to function correctly. Prof. Jeffery says that the mitochondria in the eye, in particular, provide some unique research advantages:
“The great thing about the retina is that it has more mitochondria than any other organ because it uses so much energy. On top of this, you have easy optical access — you can direct light right onto retinal mitochondria, which you can’t do to mitochondria in the liver or the kidney. Add to this the fact that the retina ages faster than any other organ, and you can test its function by asking people what they see, and you have a perfect target for red light therapy.”
Color contrast vision
The small study cohort of females and males ranged in age from 34 to 70. All the participants had normal color contrast vision at the start of the trial. The researchers measured improvements in the participants’ vision by scoring their color contrast vision, or the ability to differentiate between colors.
Some individuals were exposed to 3 minutes of deep red light in the morning, and others in the afternoon. The red light was roughly one camera stop brighter, or about twice as bright as the overall lighting in the testing area.
The color contrast vision of the participants was tested 3 hours after red light exposure and again one week later.
The color contrast vision of the participants exposed to red light in the morning improved by an average of 17%.
Timing is everything
The researchers found that the application of light must occur in the morning to have an effect.
They found no improvement in color contrast vision in the participants receiving light exposure in the afternoon. One likely reason is that mitochondria follow the body’s circadian rhythm, and as Prof. Jeffery said of them, “They are probably busy doing other things in the afternoon.”
Another possibility has to do with energy requirements unique to early daytime. “Maybe it’s all about getting up in the morning and being ready to do things,” Prof. Jeffery speculated. “This draws energy that needs replacing. No matter what you do, [mitochondria] do not respond the rest of the day or night.”
The study is very revealing about the essence of timing. For example, it revealed that 3 minutes is the optimal length for light exposure and that the vision improvement lasts up to 1 week.
Three minutes is as effective as a 45-minute exposure; when you need it to use for hours, it does not work. Three minutes remain the best amount of exposure to leave the eyes exposed to have maximum use effect.
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