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How just a few minutes of exposure per day to near-infrared light in the visible red spectrum can improve age-related vision decline especially in those who are over 40 years old according to a recent study.
The retina ages faster than any other organ of the body according to neuroscience professor Glen Jeffery of University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology.
While adults over age 40 are at the highest risk for diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, younger people are increasingly starting to see the ravages of aging eyes as well.
An antioxidant-rich, ancestral diet can help preserve eyesight and stave off symptoms. However, it doesn’t help that many of us are staring at phone and computer screens much of the day. These technologies are heavy on blue light, known to disrupt our sleep and contribute to a gradual decline in eyesight over time.
How do we combat this, since doing without screen-based electronics is virtually impossible today unless you are living off-grid in a self-sustaining homestead?
Red Light and Eyesight
A few years back, I wrote about how an EMF-free, near-infrared sauna got rid of my eye floaters which I’d had as long as I could remember.
I was shocked as this was never something I expected when I began a regular, in-home sauna routine, primarily to assist with detoxification.
And yes, they are still gone!
Now, science is starting to provide some answers according to a study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Gerontology. (1)
Just a few minutes a day of exposure to red light can have a dramatic, rejuvenating effect on vision.
Researchers recruited 12 men and 12 women, with ages ranging from 28 to 72. Each participant was given a small handheld flashlight that emitted a visible red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers.
Each person spent a scant three minutes each day looking into the light over a period of two weeks.
Incidentally, this wavelength is exactly what is provided in a near-infrared sauna powdered by incandescent heat lamps. By contrast, far-infrared or “full-spectrum” saunas use red LED lights. This type of bulb produces less reliable “digital” monochromatic light. In other words, they selectively emit a fraction of the mitochondrial stimulating light band. They are also typically quite high in EMFs.
Cones and Rods
Exposure to the red light for just a few minutes each day improved both the cones and rods in the eye according to the researchers.
Cones are photoreceptor cells that detect color and work best in well-lit situations. Rods are the retinal cells that specialize in helping us see in dim light. They are more plentiful than cones.
Researchers measured the cone function in subjects’ eyes by having them identify colored letters with low contrast. They also measured rod sensitivity by asking participants to detect light signals in the dark.
All study participants experienced a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors or cone color contrast sensitivity.
Those over 40, however, experienced a more significant 20% improvement in just two weeks. The over-40 age bracket also enjoyed a big jump in the function of the eye rods, as signified by the ability to see low light.
Mitochondria Rejuvenation
This study builds upon animal studies since 2015 that demonstrate the rejuvenating ability of red light upon the mitochondria in eye cells. (2, 3)
The mitochondria is the “battery” of each cell determining, to a great extent, how effective it is at executing its specialized purpose within the body. Mitochondria influence the pace of aging via adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP is an organic compound that provides energy to drive many processes in living cells. It declines precipitously with age. Over the average lifetime, ATP production crashes by 70%.
This decline is intensely experienced with a deterioration in vision. Mitochondrial density is greatest in photoreceptors of the eye, particularly cones that have high energy demands and mediate perception of color vision.
In fact, our retinas have the highest mitochondrial concentration of any part of the body.
Reversing this decline by 20% in only two weeks via exposure to red near-infrared light is an enormous breakthrough. Moreover, these benefits are easily accessible to everyday people and inexpensively put into practice.
Very Safe Therapy
One of the best characteristics of red light is that it is safe according to Dr. Jeffery. “If you use this every day, we have no evidence to say it’s detrimental.”
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study and FDA approval for use of handheld red light devices to improve eye health are necessary as next steps. However, those of us aware of this preliminary research can reap the health benefits to our eyes now.
An incandescent, near-infrared sauna is a very affordable solution compared to going to a local spa for regular sessions or owning a home at the beach to watch the sunset.
Given my personal experience of eye floaters that disappeared within weeks of incandescent near-infrared sauna use and remain gone years later, the beneficial effects of red light exposure may yet prove to be long-lasting as well.
References
(1) Journal of Gerontology, Optically Improved Mitochondrial Function Redeems Aged Human Visual Decline
(2) Near-infrared light increases ATP, extends lifespan and improves mobility in aged Drosophila melanogaster
(3) Aging retinal function is improved by near-infrared light (670 nm) that is associated with corrected mitochondrial decline
Our natural sunrise and sunset has perfect infrared light every day, twice daily.
Yes you can look into it.. l’d advise ONLY first few minutes/last few minutes of sunlight, only where red light is visible. DYOR . l do it.. it feels amazing ..
Sarah, I actually purchased my Proton light through you link and remember you mentioned your floaters. My husband had a stroke which is why we purchased the lamp and I used it sometimes. My vision has started to bother me as I’m a blogger and virtual coach so I spend a LOT of time on my laptop. Recently I started to sit (relatively closely) in front of the lamp 2x a day for 5 minutes each time and I do feel that along with an increase in Vitamin C (Synergy brand) I think I have a small improvement, but I’m wondering if I need to have my eyes open, but not look into the light as I know we’re not supposed to do that, to get more benefit. (Wished we could have purchased the whole unit, but our apartment isn’t large enough.) Do you use the single lamp or do you use the full sauna usually? I really would like to understand more about how to better use the lamp as the literature is pretty vague. Thanks again for today’s tip!!
P.S. Would you email your response, because otherwise I won’t know that you replied to my comment. TX!!!
Hi Diane, I use the small photon in the summer when it is hot and the larger sauna from the Fall through the Spring. I keep my eyes open but don’t look directly at the light.
Great article! Like another commenter, I would like to know a good source for a hand-held device (budget-friendly) to try.
Thanks,
Cary
Hi Sarah I have never uused any form of infra red light but after taking collagen and then when it became too expensive I went on to gelatine I have noticed my floaters have almost completely disappeared. I am in my seventies
That’s interesting! I have had eye floaters for years. Just a couple when I was a teenager, more as I grew older. I’m in my forties now and the eye floaters have suddenly got worse over the past 3 years or so, so that they are like thick cobwebs in front of my eyesight. I read that some people use well-diluted ACV in their eyes for floaters, and I also read about some using colloidal silver in their eyes. For the past 4 days I’ve been using 1-2 drops of colloidal silver three times per day in my eyes. I have psoriasis on my head and in my ears (using the colloidal silver in my ears for the psoriasis too), and, as psoriasis has an underlying infection (I read this recently in, I think, Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Bone Broth book), I wondered if, having touched my head at some time, I might also have passed on this underlying infection into my eyes.
Colloidal silver, as I’m sure you know, is antibacterial and antiviral. Well, since using the colloidal silver the floaters are still there, but they have changed and seem to be thinner and shorter. So, I will continue and see if anything further happens. If there’s anything still there in a few months’ time I might try the diluted apple cider vinegar. Having now read your article on near-infrared, Sarah, I wondered if there might be any link between the colloidal silver and the near-infrared due to both being able to kill infection? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this …thanks 🙂
Hi Sarah, does watching the sunset give the red light as well?
The sunset is definitely visible red light. I don’t know if it includes the specific wavelength used in the study, however.
Is there a handheld you would recommend to try?
Does it have to be exactly 670 nm light? What about 660 or 680 or 720?
The study used 670 nm, so at this time, this is the only wavelength that is confirmed by research. There are probably others that are helpful too, but there isn’t any data on them that I can find as of right now.
I wonder if regularly being outdoors in the sun (maybe without sunglasses) can result in similar benefit?
You would definitely have to NOT be using sunglasses. I don’t know as there is no research on that. No doubt it is beneficial though. But note that sunlight includes UV as well as near-infrared so it would perhaps take a lot longer to see results as the light would not be concentrated near infrared like in the study (or a near infrared light sauna).
Hi Sarah,
I clicked on the link, they have a Standard Heat Lamp Bulb for $9.99 is that the red light you are talking about or is it the more expensive bulbs and lights? I have lots of floaters I would love to get rid of!
The standard heat lamp is the same bulb as in the sauna. Except that in the sauna, you are in a small enclosed space with 4 of the bulbs only a foot or so away, so the red light is the only light you see. The red light is very concentrated. Note that I did NOT look directly into the light. I simply sat in the sauna for 20-30 minutes to sweat and detoxify. ALSO, the scientists did not find that floaters were cleared in this study with the small handheld. My point is only that the research is moving along in the direction that explains the benefits of red light to the health of the eyes. A simple bulb approach may or may not be helpful for floaters is my point. I was excited by this research as the evidence is moving in the direction to explain how my floaters disappeared. The healing red light is the only thing that explains it, in my mind.
hi sarah…..we purchased the photon light thru sauna space the other week! my husband has floaters. would he need to look directly at the light for the 3 minutes…….and if so how far away? typically we just have it “shining our direction” while on the computer or sitting.
I never looked into the light directly. Just sat in the sauna for 20-30 minutes at a time. Then, I just noticed one day that they were gone and they’ve never come back. It’s been a few years now. At least 3 years, maybe even 4 in November?