Researchers blame extreme light exposure for degenerated vision

Light is, undoubtedly, a vital part of human existence, but too much of eye exposure to light can lead to steady vision degeneration with age, according to an Australian.

Professor Jonathan Stone from The Vision Centre at University of Sydney led the research. The team claims that their research has enough proof to convince that cumulative light exposure in an individual's lifespan can result in weak vision and the loss may further continue with the aging process.

"We're born with about 150 million light-sensitive cells – known as photoreceptors – in each eye. All through our life we lose these at a steady rate of hundreds every day, but some people lose them much faster than others, with the result that they go blind – sometimes quite early in life," said Stone.

"These light-sensitive photoreceptors are remarkably tough, and most people still have 100 million or so left by the time they reach their 70s or 80s," Stone added. He explained that the photoreceptors cells begin to lose in late stage of life, leading to dimmed eyesight or even complete vision loss.

According to Stone, "The eye contains a great many highly-specialized genes, which affect no other part of the body, and these in turn produce many random mutations. It is these mutations which make the normally gradual degeneration of the retina more acute in some people than in others."

If light exposure is limited all through the life, particularly in middle and old age, then these photoreceptors may last longer through the older years. The research team suggested sunglasses as one effective way of cutting down the exposure.

Stone commented, "Most sunglasses will reduce by 25-50 per cent the amount of outdoors light from entering the eye and, knowing what I now do as a result of years of work in this field, I never go outside without my sunnies."

Even though, some exposure is essential to avert myopia and eyeball distortion in kids, researchers believe that too much exposure could well be damaging and irreparable. Being mindful to the amount of light exposure in childhood and adolescence years, can be rewarding in later years of an individual's life.

"However our research clearly indicates that there are also environmental factors at work which cause the eye to lose photoreceptors more rapidly, especially in people with a certain genetic makeup," said Stone.

To some extent, a protective antioxidant-rich diet can slow down this age-specific vision degeneration. While researches are on ways to fix damaged vision, wearing a sunglass outdoors might just be equally good.

Stone noted that "It appears that by managing the oxygen levels in the eye, through diet and other methods, we can slow down and possible even reverse the loss of photoreceptors, and we are planning a clinical trial to test this idea."

What Advances in Eye Care and Eyewear Can We Expect in 2009?

Researchers are working on liquid-based lenses for use as implanted contact lenses, cataract surgery lenses and general vision correction. Like plastic and glass, liquid can bend light rays to help eyes achieve precise focus.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may have suffered defeat as a vice presidential candidate in 2008. But in 2009 we expect her famous rectangular eyeglasses to endure as a fashion trend.

Soon you may be able to switch from dark sunglasses to clear lenses simply by touching a control in your eyeglass frame.
By introducing corrected genes to replace defective ones, eye doctors may be able to cure inherited forms of blinding eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.

Artificial implants that stimulate light-sensitive cells in the retina of the eye are showing promise. With continued development, these retinal implants may improve vision for people with eye damage from diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Soon people with presbyopia may be able to wear electronically controlled multifocal eyeglasses with powers that adjust instantly for clear vision at different distances. The lenses will create a larger field of view and eliminate many of the optical limitations of current bifocals, trifocals and progressive lenses.

If final FDA approval occurs, soon you may be able to purchase a product that stimulates eyelash growth for cosmetic purposes. It’s based on a glaucoma drug, which has the hair growth side effect.

Contact lenses may soon serve as a drug delivery system for people suffering from eye allergies, glaucoma or other eye conditions that require frequent use of eye drop medication. The lenses will release the drugs onto the surface of the eye in a controlled, timed-release fashion and eliminate the common problem of people forgetting to use their eye drop medicines.
Chemically treated eyeglass lenses that automatically change tints in sunlight or shade are becoming more sophisticated, and these light-sensitive (or "photochromic") lenses will be offered in more colors.

If you need cataract surgery in the future, you'll likely have more access to different kinds of artificial lenses that can provide vision at all distances simultaneously. Most current cataract lenses provide sharp focus only at one distance, such as far or near.

Contact lenses with built-in microsensors that monitor eye pressure soon may help glaucoma patients monitor their eye pressure at home, just as patients with high blood pressure and diabetes can self-monitor their diseases between doctor visits with blood pressure and blood glucose monitors.
Sophisticated ways of measuring how the eye sees may mean that your eye exams will be more automated and instantaneous, making conventional eye charts obsolete.

The struggling U.S. economy will continue to affect the LASIK and other corrective surgery market in 2009. But LASIK's loss is eyewear's gain: many people who were considering refractive surgery will continue wearing contacts or purchase stylish eyeglasses instead.

Wavefront optical technology increasingly will be used to create contact lenses and eyeglasses that produce sharper vision than currently available lenses. These advanced lenses will enable many wearers to see significantly better than 20/20.