Adding indigo spectrum to indoor lighting completely blocks the development of myopia in children, reports infohub.kz.
Specialists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital have made a breakthrough in ophthalmology, discovering an effective way to protect vision from myopia. In laboratory studies, they found that incorporating the indigo spectrum into artificial lighting prevents pathological changes in the eyeball.
Experiments were conducted on tree shrews—small mammals whose visual system is structurally and functionally closest to that of humans. The experiments showed that indigo light completely blocks the development of myopia, compensating for the negative factors of enclosed spaces.
The problem is that modern white LED lamps emit almost no light in the indigo range, whereas natural sunlight contains this spectrum in sufficient amounts. Due to prolonged stays indoors under standard LED lighting, children miss out on important wavelengths, leading to elongation of the eyeball and the development of myopia.
The authors plan to conduct clinical trials of the technology in kindergartens. Modernized lighting systems with an enriched spectrum will allow testing their protective effect in real-world conditions and prevent widespread vision deterioration in the younger generation.