隨著年齡的增長，我們的眼睛不再像小時(shí)候那么明亮，因?yàn)槲覀兊难劬Ρ壬眢w其他器官衰老得都要快。新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，每天凝視紅光3分鐘可以有效改善視力，而且年長者的效果尤為顯著。

A few minutes of looking into a deep red light could have a dramatic effect on preventing eyesight decline as we age, according to a new study published this week in The Journals of Gerontology.

根據(jù)本周發(fā)表在《老年學(xué)雜志》上的一項(xiàng)新研究，只要凝視深紅色光幾分鐘，就能有效地預(yù)防視力衰退。

"You don't need to use it for very long to start getting a strong result," said lead author Glen Jeffery, a professor of neuroscience at University College London's Institute of Ophthalmology.

該研究的首席作者、倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院眼科研究所神經(jīng)科學(xué)系教授格倫·杰弗瑞說：“你不用看很長時(shí)間紅光，就能有立竿見影的效果?！?/p>

The science works, Jeffery said, because the light stimulates the health of mitochondria, which are like batteries in our cells.

杰弗瑞說，其科學(xué)原理在于紅光可以增進(jìn)線粒體的健康，線粒體就像我們身體細(xì)胞的電池。

mitochondria[?ma?to'kɑndr?r]: n. 線粒體（mitochondrion的復(fù)數(shù)）

And because mitochondria are implicated in a broad range of diseases, insights like these could help lead to new treatments for diseases including Parkinson's and diabetes.

因?yàn)榫€粒體衰退牽涉到許多疾病，這樣的發(fā)現(xiàn)可能有助于啟發(fā)帕金森癥和糖尿病等疾病的新療法。

The study was small, a pilot study to test the concept. Researchers recruited 12 men and 12 women, whose ages ranged from 28 to 72. Each participant was given a small handheld flashlight that emitted a red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers. That wavelength is toward the long end of the visible spectrum, and just short of an infrared wavelength, which tends to be invisible to the human eye.

這項(xiàng)研究是一個(gè)小型的試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目，旨在測試這一概念。研究人員招募了12名男性和12名女性，他們的年齡在28歲到72歲之間。每位參與者都分到了一個(gè)手持的小手電筒，可以發(fā)出波長670納米的紅光。這種紅光的波長接近可見光譜波長最長的一端，只有人眼通?？床灰姷募t外線的波長才比它短。

They spent three minutes each day looking into the light over a period of two weeks.

在兩周時(shí)間內(nèi)，參與者每天花三分鐘凝視紅光。

The lights work on both cones and rods in the eye. Cones are photo receptor cells that detect color and work best in well-lit situations. Rods, which are much more plentiful, are retina cells that specialize in helping us see in dim light, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

這種紅光對眼睛的視錐細(xì)胞和視桿細(xì)胞都產(chǎn)生了作用。根據(jù)美國眼科學(xué)會，視錐細(xì)胞是可以察覺顏色的感光細(xì)胞，在光線明亮的情況下最能發(fā)揮作用。數(shù)量龐大得多的視桿細(xì)胞是視網(wǎng)膜細(xì)胞，主要功能是幫我們在光線昏暗時(shí)看見東西。

Researchers measured the cone function in subjects' eyes by having them identify colored letters with low contrast. And they measured their eyes' rod sensitivity by asking them to detect light signals in the dark.

研究人員通過讓參與者識別對比度低的有顏色的字母來衡量他們的視錐細(xì)胞功能，通過讓參與者在黑暗中識別光信號來衡量他們的視桿細(xì)胞功能。

There was a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors, or cone color contrast sensitivity, for the entire two dozen participants.

在24名參與者中，有14%的人辨認(rèn)顏色的能力或視錐細(xì)胞顏色對比敏感度提高了。

Improvement, however, was most significant in study participants over age 40. For those ages, cone color contrast sensitivity rose by 20% over the course of the study.

視力提高最顯著的是40歲以上的參與者。在研究過程中，這一年齡段的人的視錐細(xì)胞顏色對比敏感度上升了20%。

That age bracket also saw significant increases in rod threshold, which corresponds to the ability to see in low light. Study participants under 40 also experienced some improvement, but didn't see the same jump as older subjects. Younger eyes haven't declined as much as older eyes.

該年齡段的人的視桿細(xì)胞功能也顯著增強(qiáng)了，也就是在弱光環(huán)境下看見東西的能力。40歲以下的參與者也經(jīng)歷了視力改善，但是沒有年長者那么顯著。年輕人的眼睛不像年長者的眼睛衰退得那么嚴(yán)重。

"The retina ages faster than any other organ in your body," Jeffery said. "From an evolutionary perspective, we fundamentally have never lived past 40."

杰弗瑞說：“視網(wǎng)膜衰老的速度比人體的其他器官都要快。從進(jìn)化角度來說，人類器官的使用壽命只有40年?！?/p>

Now, of course, we regularly live well beyond that age, and need ways to nurture the organs that for millennia have been the most likely to wear out earliest in life.

現(xiàn)在，一般人的壽命當(dāng)然都會超過40歲，于是就需要各種方式來保養(yǎng)那些幾千年來最早衰老的器官。

But more studies are needed to prove it helps.

不過還需要更多研究才能證明紅光對視力有幫助。

"We're all going to suffer from aging. So let's try to go gently if we can," Jeffery said.

杰弗瑞說：“我們都將受到衰老的折磨。如果可以的話，讓我們優(yōu)雅地老去。”

英文來源：CNN

翻譯&編輯：丹妮