Because of its high concentration of mitochondria, the human retina ages more rapidly than most other organs, losing 70 percent of its ATP in the course of a person’s lifespan. From the age of 40, the deterioration is most evident.
Scientists at University College London investigated the impact of beaming deep red light on the eye, a type of treatment that has previously proven to enhance the eyesight of those with decreasing vision. Longwave deep red illumination exposure for just three minutes a week has been shown to optimize color comparison vision and have lasting impacts.
Cellular energy factories known as mitochondria can get a boost from exposure to deep red light with a visible spectrum of 670 nanometers. When water comes into contact with this wavelength, it soaks up its power, elevating the water molecules’ vibrational frequency.
While the ATP synthase pump, a molecular framework inside the mitochondria, is submerged in the excess energy, all those pumps spin quicker and discharge more power into the cell membrane.
Better-functioning mitochondria could aid a wide variety of biological processes. A team led by Glen Jeffery at the University of College London, however, focused only on how deep red light correlated with eyesight.
For the research study, they enlisted 24 participants ranging in age from 37 to 70 and exposed them to a low-intensity deep red light for only three minutes. The researchers used a standard test to identify the alphabet on backgrounds with similar colors several hours later to evaluate the test subjects’ color vision.
The morning may be the best time for mitochondria to produce the most ATP, the energy-carrying molecules in all living organisms. They decided that morning and evening exposure to red light would be ideal for a control group.
Early risers who received deep red light therapy in the early hours (8 am to 9 am) saw an improvement of between 12 and 17 percent in their color contrast exam results. Within a week, their total score had improved by 10%, indicating that the therapy has long-term advantages. Red light therapy given in the afternoon had no noticeable effect on the eyesight of those who received it.
Using red light therapy to treat likely causes of vision loss, including maturity level retinal degeneration and low vision caused by diabetes, might be highly beneficial.
This therapy may help treat various conditions because it improves the efficiency of all cells in your body. To treat head trauma and Parkinson’s disease, biologists elsewhere are using deep red light therapy.
Considering that the experiment had a small sample size is essential. Individuals’ advancements in color vision differed widely among the same age group. Because of this, one should take the findings with a grain of salt, and more research is needed.
Regardless, it lends even a glimmer of hope to the millions of people impacted by vision impairment to know that the possibility of improving their eyesight exists.
