In recent times there has been a lot of information about the potentially harmful effect of blue light on eyes. Here’s something from the other end of the spectrum - red light which could prove helpful. A study has found that staring at a deep red light for three minutes a day improved declining eyesight. This may lead to home-based eye therapies.

At around age 40 years the retinal cells in the eye begin to age as the cell’s mitochondria start to decline. These mitochondria have high energy demands, and there are a lot of them in the eye’s photoreceptor cells in the retina. This means the retina ages faster than other organs as the photoreceptors lack the energy to perform their normal role.

“Mitochondria have specific light absorbance characteristics influencing their performance: longer wavelengths, red light, spanning 650 – 1000nm are absorbed and improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production,” said Professor Glen Jeffery, University College of London Institute of Ophthalmology.

The retina’s photoreceptor population is formed of cones and rods. Cones mediate colour vision and rods give peripheral vision and adapt vision in low/dim light.

In this study candidates were first tested for rod and cone sensitivity. They had a small LED torch to take home, and look into its 670nm light beam for three minutes a day for two weeks, before being re-tested.

Colour contrast sensitivity improved by up to 20% in some people. Improvements for some were more significant in the blue part of the colour spectrum which is more vulnerable in ageing. Rod sensitivity also significantly improved in this group, though less than contrast.

Hopefully this might translate into a home therapy - watch this space.