Cincinnati: A wavelength of light that is common in sunlight but largely missing from standard indoor LED lighting may help protect developing eyes from myopia, according to researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
The study found that exposure to indigo light completely prevented nearsightedness in tree shrews, whose eyes share important similarities with human eyes.
Indigo light may hold a surprising clue
Myopia, commonly known as short-sightedness, is becoming an increasing concern among children. Researchers are now examining whether changes in the light children experience indoors could play a role in the development of the condition.
Indigo light is naturally present in sunlight but is present in much smaller amounts in many forms of standard indoor lighting.
The researchers’ findings suggest that this missing part of the light spectrum could be important for healthy eye development.
Indoor lighting could be redesigned
The discovery raises the possibility of developing indoor lighting that more closely resembles natural sunlight.
If future research confirms that the effect also applies to humans, lighting designed to include more of the relevant wavelength could potentially become one part of efforts to reduce childhood myopia.
However, the current findings come from research involving tree shrews. The study does not establish that indigo light will prevent myopia in children.
A new direction in myopia research
The findings could encourage researchers to look beyond traditional approaches to childhood eye health and examine how modern indoor environments affect developing eyes.
With children spending significant amounts of time indoors, understanding the differences between natural sunlight and artificial lighting could become increasingly important.
The research offers an intriguing possibility: a colour of light that is often missing indoors may turn out to have a role in protecting developing vision.