Technology to strengthen the vision after exceeding forty

 

 

5/7/2020

 

As one gets older, his visual system recedes significantly, especially after the age of forty, according to Glenn Jeffrey, a professor at the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London.

"The sensitivity of the retina and color vision are gradually fading ... In an effort to stop that regression, or to reverse its direction, we sought to restart the aging cells in the retina by exposing it to short bursts of wave light," Geoffrey said. Long. "

Aging affects retinal cells in people over 40 years old. And that aging begins when the number of mitochondria present in the cells also decreases, as their role is to produce energy (known as ATP) and enhance cell function.

It is noteworthy that the density of mitochondria is more present within the cells of photoreceptors in the retina, which need high energy requirements. As a result, the retina becomes aging faster than other organs, causing the function of the photoreceptors to decrease significantly, due to its lack of energy to perform its normal role.

The researchers based on their previous findings with mice, hummingbirds, and fruit flies, which all found a significant improvement in retinal photoreceptor function, when their eyes were exposed to 670 nm (which is the long wavelength) of deep red light.

"The mitochondria have specific properties to absorb light, and they affect their performance: longer, longer wavelengths are absorbed, between 650 and 1000 nm, which improves the performance of the mitochondria to increase energy production," Jeffrey explained.

The study included 24 people, 12 males, and 12 females, between the ages of 28 and 72, and none of them had eye disease.