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Deep red light reboots aging retinas like "recharging a battery"

ageing photobiomodulation colour vision

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#1 Engadin

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Posted 29 June 2020 - 01:26 PM


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S O U R C E :   NewAtlas

 

P A Y W A L L E D   P R I M A L   S O U R C E :   Journal of Gerontology

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Researchers have found that staring at deep red light for a few minutes a day can improve vision in those over 40.

 

 

As our bodies age we can expect different components to deteriorate in performance, however, not all do so at the same pace. The retinas are one example of a part that ages sooner than most, but a new study has demonstrated how a form of deep red light therapy can help arrest this slide. Hitting the eyeball with just the right wavelength of light has been found to “recharge the energy system” and bring significant improvements to vision in those over 40.

 

The study conducted at University College London (UCL) looked at the potential for manipulating the performance of mitochondria, which are often referred to as the powerhouses of cells. Like they do in cells throughout the body in the body, mitochondria act as the energy factory of retinal cells by producing the energy-rich molecule, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

 

The retina’s photoreceptor cells have particularly high energy needs, and are therefore where a high density of mitochondria can be found. This contributes to the disproportionate rate of age-related decline in the eyes, which begins to accelerate at around 40 years and causes a significant decline in photoreceptor function.
 
"As you age your visual system declines significantly, particularly once over 40,” says lead author, Glen Jeffery. “Your retinal sensitivity and your color vision are both gradually undermined, and with an aging population, this is an increasingly important issue. To try to stem or reverse this decline, we sought to reboot the retina's aging cells with short bursts of longwave light."
 
The UCL researchers had previously conducted experiments in which they found that exposing the eyes of mice, bumblebees and fruit flies to 670-nanometer deep red light resulted in significant improvements to their vision.
 
"Mitochondria have specific light absorbance characteristics influencing their performance: longer wavelengths spanning 650 to 1000 nanometers are absorbed and improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production," says Professor Jeffery.
 
Next, the researchers turned their attention to human subjects. This round of experiments involved 24 healthy participants between the ages of 28 and 72, who underwent examinations at the outset of the study. This meant testing the sensitivity of the retina’s rods, which handle peripheral vision and low-light scenarios, and its cones, which mediate color vision.
 
All of the subjects were given a small LED torch that emits a deep red 670-nanometer beam, and were asked to look into it for three minutes a day across a two-week period. Follow-up testing revealed that the therapy had no impact on the younger subjects, but brought significant benefits for those 40 and over.
 
The ability to detect colors improved by as much as 20 percent in some of those subjects, with the most significant gains observed in the blue part of the spectrum that is most susceptible to age-related decline. Rod sensitivity was also significantly improved in those 40 and over, albeit not by quite as much.
 
"Our study shows that it is possible to significantly improve vision that has declined in aged individuals using simple brief exposures to light wavelengths that recharge the energy system that has declined in the retina cells, rather like re-charging a battery,” says Jeffery. ”The technology is simple and very safe, using a deep red light of a specific wavelength, that is absorbed by mitochondria in the retina that supply energy for cellular function. Our devices cost about £12 (US$14) to make, so the technology is highly accessible to members of the public."
 
 
 
 
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#2 rodentman

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Posted 29 June 2020 - 04:52 PM

Very interesting.  I don't imagine this would help with presbyopia?  


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#3 Engadin

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Posted 29 June 2020 - 06:51 PM

Very interesting.  I don't imagine this would help with presbyopia?  

 

 

As far as I know and sorry for not bringing better news, rodentman, presbyopia is a condition associated with the aging of the eye that results in progressively worsening ability to focus clearly on close objects, and therefore more related to the crystalline lens than to the retina. Given my age, I'd love too this to be a recurrent cure to my presbyopia.

 

BTW, any clue about where to get the 12 pounds LED torch mentioned in the article or are they only for testing purposes and 12 pounds are just the cost of making ourselves one from scratch?.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by Engadin, 29 June 2020 - 06:57 PM.

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#4 Turnbuckle

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Posted 29 June 2020 - 08:51 PM

As far as I know and sorry for not bringing better news, rodentman, presbyopia is a condition associated with the aging of the eye that results in progressively worsening ability to focus clearly on close objects, and therefore more related to the crystalline lens than to the retina. Given my age, I'd love too this to be a recurrent cure to my presbyopia.

 

BTW, any clue about where to get the 12 pounds LED torch mentioned in the article or are they only for testing purposes and 12 pounds are just the cost of making ourselves one from scratch?.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looks like a standard red LED flashlight available from Amazon, with a diffuser at the business end. The diffuser looks like a piece of PVC tubing, perhaps with frosted glass or plastic.


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#5 pamojja

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Posted 29 June 2020 - 09:20 PM

That's probably why we are so attracted to sunsets?


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#6 Rays

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 10:07 AM

The PDF tells:

 

"670nm light devices were based on simple commercial DC torches with ten 670nm LEDs mounted behind a light diffuser embedded in a tube that was 4cm in diameter. Energies at the cornea were approximately 40mW/cm-2 which often resulted in a mild green after image for approximately 5-10 seconds. Participants were asked to use the light to illuminate their dominant eye every morning for 3 minutes and to repeat this daily for 2 weeks."

 


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#7 Engadin

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 10:37 AM

That's probably why we are so attracted to sunsets?

 

 

That's quite a poetic approach, much better should it also be an antiaging one.


Edited by Engadin, 30 June 2020 - 10:39 AM.


#8 Oakman

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 06:29 PM

"The ability to detect colors improved by as much as 20 percent in some of those subjects, with the most significant gains observed in the blue part of the spectrum that is most susceptible to age-related decline. Rod sensitivity was also significantly improved in those 40 and over, albeit not by quite as much."

 

I'm left with the question of how to determine whatever deficits have occurred already and how to gauge the effects of this treatment? I think it relatively difficult to tell how much damage may have occurred, as you see what you see, and unless no colors are seen (unlikely and not not in my case anyway), how do you know what is 'normal'? Anyone have any idea of a test to take to figure this out? I have the LED arrays @660nm, and a meter to find the right distance for 40 mW/cm2, so I'm keen to try this.



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#9 paka

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Posted 07 September 2021 - 01:00 AM

An Amsler Grid is used at home to check for AMD and/or its progression, but unfortunately, by then you KNOW you have a vision problem. Early detection is done by an opthalmologist. A normal eye chart could be used to check progression, provided identical conditions, especially light, are used each time and the 'criteria' is at your edge of discernment ( say middle row of chart). I have AMD and color perception does not seem to be a problem, light sensitivity is. 

Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been used in several trials for AMD. The red light you refer to is its simplest form. Generally, PBM for AMD involved use of deep red (660-680nm) light at 'dosages' of ~2-4J/cm2 and some additional light sources. The latest trial I've found is:

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC7392581/  It seems to be the most effective as there are several trials duplicating the procedure (actively recruiting at this time).
PBM has a multitude of applications since it enhances the performance of mitochondria. There are over 40K trials, articles, etc.. on the subject (under various names/acronyms). A subset of 6K+ can be found in this spreadsheet:
 

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