In recent times, there’s been a curious discovery about the health of our eyes. Researchers in South Korea have found a link between the bright lights of our cities at night and a common eye problem called age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
AMD is a condition where part of the retina in the eye, known as the macula, gets worse over time.
This leads to a loss of central vision, making everyday tasks like reading or driving tough. It usually affects people over 60 and can vary from blurry vision to severe vision loss.
The team, led by Dr. Ahnul Ha from Jeju National University College of Medicine, looked into whether the increasing amount of artificial light at night could be a factor in AMD.
This idea came up because artificial light has already been linked to other health issues like obesity, heart disease, some cancers, and mental health problems.
Exposure to artificial light can hurt the sensitive cells in the retina in a few ways. It can mess up the body’s natural day-night cycle, lead to hormonal changes, and directly damage the cells in the retina.
In their study, Dr. Ha and her colleagues analyzed data from over 126,000 South Koreans aged 50 and above. About 4,100 of these people had AMD.
The researchers compared where these people lived with satellite images showing night light levels across South Korea.
They divided people’s homes into four groups, based on how much artificial outdoor light they were likely exposed to at night. What they found was striking:
Older people living in urban areas with the most artificial light had more than double the chance of developing AMD compared to those in areas with the least light. Even a little more light at night increased the risk of AMD by 12%.
This pattern remained true even after considering other factors like sleeplessness or depression.
The study also noted that the risk of AMD increased with age and was more prevalent in men. Lifestyle factors like obesity, smoking, and drinking seemed to make the link between night light and AMD even stronger.
However, Dr. Matthew Gorski, an ophthalmologist at Northwell Health, points out that this study doesn’t prove that bright lights at night cause AMD.
It just shows there might be a connection. He advises caution and says more research is needed to confirm these findings.
Gorski isn’t ready to change his recommendations to patients yet. He believes the study is just a starting point. For now, he advises people worried about their eye health as they age to focus on prevention.
This includes quitting smoking, eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and antioxidants, and wearing sunglasses when necessary.
This study, published on January 16 in JAMA Network Open, is a reminder of how our modern, brightly-lit lifestyles might be affecting our health in ways we’re just beginning to understand.
If you care about eye health, please read studies about how vitamin B may help fight vision loss, and MIND diet may reduce risk of vision loss disease.
For more information about eye disease, please see recent studies about how to protect your eyes from glaucoma, and results showing this eye surgery may reduce dementia risk.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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