看紅光可以延緩視力衰退

A few minutes of looking into a deep red light could have a dramatic effect on preventing eyesight decline as we age, according to a new study published this week in The Journals of Gerontology.

根據本週發表在《老年學雜誌》上的一項新研究，只要凝視深紅色光幾分鐘，就能有效地預防視力衰退。

"You don't need to use it for very long to start getting a strong result," said lead author Glen Jeffery, a professor of neuroscience at University College London's Institute of Ophthalmology.

該研究的首席作者、倫敦大學學院眼科研究所神經科學系教授格倫·傑弗瑞說：“你不用看很長時間紅光，就能有立竿見影的效果。”

The science works, Jeffery said, because the light stimulates the health of mitochondria, which are like batteries in our cells.

傑弗瑞說，其科學原理在於紅光可以增進線粒體的健康，線粒體就像我們身體細胞的電池。

And because mitochondria are implicated in a broad range of diseases, insights like these could help lead to new treatments for diseases including Parkinson's and diabetes.

因爲線粒體衰退牽涉到許多疾病，這樣的發現可能有助於啓發帕金森症和糖尿病等疾病的新療法。

The study was small, a pilot study to test the concept. Researchers recruited 12 men and 12 women, whose ages ranged from 28 to 72. Each participant was given a small handheld flashlight that emitted a red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers. That wavelength is toward the long end of the visible spectrum, and just short of an infrared wavelength, which tends to be invisible to the human eye.

這項研究是一個小型的試點項目，旨在測試這一概念。研究人員招募了12名男性和12名女性，他們的年齡在28歲到72歲之間。每位參與者都分到了一個手持的小手電筒，可以發出波長670納米的紅光。這種紅光的波長接近可見光譜波長最長的一端，只有人眼通常看不見的紅外線的波長才比它短。

They spent three minutes each day looking into the light over a period of two weeks.

在兩週時間內，參與者每天花三分鐘凝視紅光。

The lights work on both cones and rods in the eye. Cones are photo receptor cells that detect color and work best in well-lit situations. Rods, which are much more plentiful, are retina cells that specialize in helping us see in dim light, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

這種紅光對眼睛的視錐細胞和視杆細胞都產生了作用。根據美國眼科學會，視錐細胞是可以察覺顏色的感光細胞，在光線明亮的情況下最能發揮作用。數量龐大得多的視杆細胞是視網膜細胞，主要功能是幫我們在光線昏暗時看見東西。

Researchers measured the cone function in subjects' eyes by having them identify colored letters with low contrast. And they measured their eyes' rod sensitivity by asking them to detect light signals in the dark.

研究人員通過讓參與者識別對比度低的有顏色的字母來衡量他們的視錐細胞功能，通過讓參與者在黑暗中識別光信號來衡量他們的視杆細胞功能。

There was a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors, or cone color contrast sensitivity, for the entire two dozen participants.

在24名參與者中，有14%的人辨認顏色的能力或視錐細胞顏色對比敏感度提高了。

Improvement, however, was most significant in study participants over age 40. For those ages, cone color contrast sensitivity rose by 20% over the course of the study.

視力提高最顯著的是40歲以上的參與者。在研究過程中，這一年齡段的人的視錐細胞顏色對比敏感度上升了20%。

That age bracket also saw significant increases in rod threshold, which corresponds to the ability to see in low light. Study participants under 40 also experienced some improvement, but didn't see the same jump as older subjects. Younger eyes haven't declined as much as older eyes.

該年齡段的人的視杆細胞功能也顯著增強了，也就是在弱光環境下看見東西的能力。40歲以下的參與者也經歷了視力改善，但是沒有年長者那麼顯著。年輕人的眼睛不像年長者的眼睛衰退得那麼嚴重。

"The retina ages faster than any other organ in your body," Jeffery said. "From an evolutionary perspective, we fundamentally have never lived past 40."

傑弗瑞說：“視網膜衰老的速度比人體的其他器官都要快。從進化角度來說，人類器官的使用壽命只有40年。”

Now, of course, we regularly live well beyond that age, and need ways to nurture the organs that for millennia have been the most likely to wear out earliest in life.

現在，一般人的壽命當然都會超過40歲，於是就需要各種方式來保養那些幾千年來最早衰老的器官。

But more studies are needed to prove it helps.

不過還需要更多研究才能證明紅光對視力有幫助。

"We're all going to suffer from aging. So let's try to go gently if we can," Jeffery said.

傑弗瑞說：“我們都將受到衰老的折磨。如果可以的話，讓我們優雅地老去。”