Health Note - Red Light

Beloved,

I wish above all things that thou mayest...be in health...

3 John 1:2

"Looking at 670-nm red light for three minutes a day can

significantly improve cone color contrast sensitivity (the ability to detect colors) and rod sensitivity (the ability to see in low light), according to a new study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A.

In humans around 40 years old, cells in the eye’s retina begin to age, and the pace of this aging is caused, in part, when the cell’s mitochondria, whose role is to produce energy — carried by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules — and to boost cell function, also start to decline.
Mitochondrial density is greatest in the retina’s photoreceptor cells, which have high energy demands.

As a result, the retina ages faster than other organs, with a 70% ATP reduction over life, causing a significant decline in photoreceptor function as they lack the energy to perform their normal role.

“Mitochondria have specific light absorbance characteristics influencing their performance: longer wavelengths spanning 650- to 1,000-nm are absorbed and improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production,” Professor Jeffery said.
“The retina’s photoreceptor population is formed of cones, which mediate color vision and rods, which provide peripheral vision and adapt vision in low/dim light.”

The participants were then given a small LED torch to take home

and were asked to look into its deep red 670-nm light beam for three minutes a day for two weeks.
They were then re-tested for their rod and cone sensitivity.
The researchers found the 670-nm light had no impact in younger individuals, but in those around 40 years and over, significant improvements were obtained.
Improvements were more significant in the blue part of the color spectrum that is more vulnerable in aging.

“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,” Professor Jeffery said."
SciNews