This Light Could Improve Declining Eyesight

Depending on the wavelength, light has the power to heal or destroy. Our eyes depend on light to function, but we often forget the wide range of effects light can have on long term eye function. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to our understanding of these impacts, but new studies could offer hope for people who’ve suffered certain types of visual decline. 

The Role of Light on the Eyes

Obviously, light is necessary for vision to function. Without it, all we can perceive is darkness. LibreTexts explains that everything we see is the result of different wavelengths of light hitting the retinas in the backs of our eyes, where our light receptors are located.

There are a broad range of frequencies, with our visual spectrum (the colors of the rainbow) being just a fragment of the types of light that exist all around us. Ultraviolet (UV) and blue lights have smaller wavelengths, whereas infrared and red lights have larger ones. Variations on those wavelengths within the visible spectrum allow us to perceive different colors. But different wavelengths can also affect the eyes themselves.

Light and Visual Decline

Studies have found exposure to UV and blue lights with wavelengths 440 nanometers or smaller can destroy the receptors in the eyes. The reaction is due to the way these wavelengths disrupt and damage the mitochondria, the part of our cells responsible for energy production. Damage to the mitochondria limits a cell’s ability to function; when this limited function occurs in the eyes, the result is vision damage.

Mitochondrial dysfunction could be one of a few factors that contribute to age-related retinal damage. The most serious of these conditions is macular degeneration. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, this slow but progressive condition permanently destroys the central vision and can lead to severe visual impairment.

Using Light to Heal the Eyes

Just as one set of wavelengths disrupts our mitochondria, another appears able to heal them. Research has shown near-infrared wavelengths, those between 650 and 1000 nanometers, which includes the color red and a small part of the infrared spectrum, can boost sluggish mitochondria back into gear. Applied to the eyes, light-based therapies have shown incredible promise in slowing the changes that contribute to age-related macular degeneration. 

More recent studies have determined this is because the retinas demand a lot of energy to do their jobs, especially the part responsible for central vision. They’ve also found these wavelengths only benefit mitochondria that are dragging or damaged. However, because our retinas don’t age well, with retinal damage starting young, most people over 40 are likely to benefit from this therapy.

Even more exciting, regular red light use before noticeable damage occurs could help preserve vision well into old age.

It’s easy to take light for granted, especially for those of us who’ve never experienced vision damage or loss, but it’s a far more powerful force than most of us realize. Red light could be the future of macular degeneration prevention, and the eyes could be just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows what future research into light therapy might bring.

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