Declining eyesight may be helped with deep red light therapy

A study recently published in the Scientific Reports reveals that staring at a deep red light for only three minutes can significantly restore diminishing eyesight. The treatment is only effective if administered in the morning and the improvements can last for a week.

Prior research found that mitochondria in our photoreceptor cells can be enhanced with exposure to long-wave light (which is red in color) and that function can be restored in these cells with the red light exposure.

Researchers had 20 participants between the ages of 34 and 70 spend three minutes staring at a deep red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers. The test was conducted between the hours of 8 and 9 am. 

The eyesight of each participant was tested three hours later and found that color vision was improved by an average of 17 percent and some older participants saw an improvement of over 20 percent.

Follow-up tests were conducted on half of the participants a week later and the improved vision was still being sustained. The experiment was repeated but this time in the afternoon and participants received no benefit. 

Researchers note that it could be possible in the future to have people undergo a three-minute exposure to red light once a week to help improve their vision.