Short morning exposure to deep red light can “improve declining vision”

New research published in Scientific Reports has explored the effects of a three-minute morning exposure to deep red light once a week on eye health.

The study, which was undertaken by researchers at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, found that participants had a 17% improvement in colour contrast vision on average.

The effects of the exposure to 670 nanometre deep red light lasted for at least a week.

Lead author, Professor Glen Jeffery, of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, shared that the procedure has the potential to “significantly improve declining vision.”

“This simple intervention applied at the population level would significantly impact on quality of life as people age and would likely result in reduced social costs that arise from problems associated with reduced vision,” he said.

While positive effects are observed for individuals following the exposure to deep red light, researchers have noted that the magnitude of improvements can vary between those of similar ages.

Further research involving a larger sample size is needed to explore the potential effect of other variables on vision improvement.

Dr Pardis Kaynezhad holds a deep red light over her eye, which helps stimulate the mitochondria in her retinal cells.