Potential New Ways To Help Enhance Contrast And Improve Performance
(This article was prepared with the story help of Dr. Catherine M. Croke*)
Professional athletes and often amateur sports enthusiasts consult for high-performance equipment. Various ophthalmic lenses with different filters and coating provide high contrast sensitivity and improved performance. The concept ultimately consists of reducing the transmission for the short-wave portion of visible radiation, increasing the transmission in the region in which the eye is particularly sensitive (wavelength = 555 nm), and reducing the blue effect contained in all colors. The blue effect shifts chromatic zones towards blue and causes glare. Blue also converges in front of the retina, along with other short-wave radiations, creating a myopia effect as it bundles in front of the retina superimposing with other colors. Therefore attenuating the blue portion of the spectrum enhances contrast as the chromatic zones are distanced from the blue and the myopia effect is eliminated. Those sunglasses lenses reduce the blue portion to such an extent that the wearer enjoys clear vision.
Contrast enhancing lenses can have different tints in line with weather conditions. In overcast, hazy, and foggy weather conditions, yellow and orange tints decrease the effect of blue light and reduce glare. A green tint improves color perception in bright light and when looking at green background like a ball on grass. Copper and Brown tint increase contrast in sports that require focused distant vision. Compared to other tints, Purple tinted lenses reduce blue light in sunny conditions.
A new study by University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology researchers suggested that it is possible to increase contrast and improve performance in the aging population (37-70 years) without having to wear tinted lenses. All you need is to get your eyes exposed for just three minutes to deep red light once a week. This procedure, when delivered in the morning, can significantly improve declining eyesight. The study on animals shows that mitochondrial decline in aging that robs cells of ATP – or adenosine triphosphate which is the energy-carrying molecule used in cells because it can release energy very quickly- can be overcome through long wavelength exposure (650–900 nm) over weeks to partially restore ATP and improve function.
“Mitochondria have specific sensitivities to long-wavelength light influencing their performance: longer wavelengths spanning 650 to 900nm improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production,” said Professor Glen Jeffery, Professor of Neuroscience at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
The study has a limitation that is the magnitude of improvements can vary markedly between participants of similar ages. Therefore, other variables between individuals may be influencing the degree of improvement that the researchers have not identified in this study and could be the subject for a new study with a larger sample size.
*Dr. Catherine M. Croke, Editorial Board. Dr. Croke has more than 30 years of business experience and currently serves as Sr. Advocacy & Compliance Manager for Evonik, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies. Dr. Croke holds a DBA from Columbia Southern University, an M.S from St. Joseph’s University, and a B.S. from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.