Eyecharger laboratory study

Aims

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a device with long wavelength light output on colour contrast measurements of retinal function. Metrics of the product in terms of its wavelength and output energies had been supplied previously and checked for accuracy.

Laboratory testing methods

In this study 6 male subjects were used that had previous experience of the colour contrast test setup. The tests were carried out over a period of eight weeks, being used once a week in the mornings.

None had been selectively exposed to 670nm in the previous month. The colour contrast measurements used were identical to those by Shinhmar et al 2020 (PMID: 32596723) and are widely used clinically to assess colour vision.

Subjects were known to have good eye health having previously had an ophthalmic questionnaire given by a research optometrist. None had any systemic health problems. Colour contrast measurements were made over a series of repeats to establish baseline measures for both protan (red – green) and tritan (blue– yellow) visual domains. These were always undertaken in the mornings. The average age of the subjects was around 48 years.

Subjects were exposed to 3 min of red light from the supplied product at 10am monocularly. A new battery was fitted for each to avoid energy variations. Subjects held the cone at the end of the torch firmly against the face over the eye perpendicularly. The exposure was to their dominant eye. The subject defined their dominant eye and if there was ambiguity, they are asked which eye they would use to look through a keyhole. This is a standard question for eye dominance.

The lids can be open or closed as a matter of choice during red light exposure, but all subjects opted to close their lids. Long wavelengths pass through the lid almost unattenuated, hence lid closure is not a significant variable. Exposures were in a normal office environment and subjects are asked to remain in the office for 3 hours post red-light exposure. Subjects were then retested for colour contrast in a manner identical to that for their baseline measurements. Hence, results reveal the impact of the torch on tritan and protan visual sensitivity.

Results

There was a statistically significant improvement in tritan sensitivity in subjects exposed to red light from the torches. The improvement was approximately 25% and the level of significance was P=0.01 (**). These results are consistent with those obtained by Shinhmar et al 2020*.

There was also a statistically significant improvement in the protan thresholds in subjects exposed to red light from the torches. The improvement was just under 20% and the level of significance was P=0.05 (*).

Again, these results are consistent with those obtained by Shinhmar et al 2020* who showed improvements in both tritan and protan metrics, but that of the tritan was greater.

The torches supplied are able to improve retinal sensitivity in the colour domain. They preform to a level similar to that found by Shinhmar et al 2020* using a different torch device and also to a level revealed by this laboratory in data that has been submitted for publication.

Reference document

*Shinhmar, Grewal, Sivaprasad, Hogg, Chong, Neveu & Jeffery. Optically Improved Mitochondrial Function Redeems Aged Human Visual Decline. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 75, Issue 9,

September 2020, Pages e49–e52, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glaa155. PMID: 32596723.

Performance Benefits for science backed products

Like most consumers we want proven performance benefits, and an increase in clinical, science-backed products that can evidence claims. There is increasing emphasis worldwide for making better practical use of fundamental scientific research from academia.

Health-forward products like Eyecharger are an increasingly attractive option for consumers who find comfort in science-backed products.

If you want evidence to support claims for health benefits, the best proof of this is a clinical trial or study from a reputable source.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is a scientific study, or an organised test of medicines and new treatment options involving patient and non-patient human volunteers.

This is even more important with the complexity of natural health products, where evidence is specific to the finished product.

Therefore checking that a natural health product is has a specific clinical trial on it is the place to start. It is also important to check that the results of the trial are really meaningful to your health.

Clinical outcomes are only relevant to the specific product that has been trialed and should not be used to support different products. Also to reduce possible bias in the study, clinical study results should be validated by publication in respected peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Clinical research

Research in which people, or data or samples of tissue from people, are studied to understand health and disease. Clinical research helps find new and better ways to detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Types of clinical research include clinical trials, which test new treatments for a disease, and natural history studies, which collect health information to understand how a disease develops and progresses over time.