Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/bMaQraJBJI0   Looking at long wave deep red light only once a week for only 3 minutes may increase color vision by as much as 20%.  This startling finding was just announced by ophthalmologists at University College London after their small study of 20 subjects without any known eye disease.   Each participant used an LED device that emits red light at a 670 nm wavelength for 3 minutes between 8 and 9 am.  Color vision was measured using a Chroma Test before and after the light therapy and again at one week following the therapy session.  There was an average of 17% improvement in color vision following light therapy with improvement lasting up to one week.  Some older patients enjoyed a 20% improvement.  Interestingly, light exposure in the afternoon was ineffective.   The typical decline in vision with aging occurs due to reduced mitochondrial activity in retinal cells.  The periodic red light therapy recharges retinal mitochondria and restores some visual fidelity.  The best ne