Effects of Light on the Choroid and Pupil

Overview

Monochromatic light creates longitudinal chromatic aberration, with short wavelength blue light forming a focal point in front of the retina and long wavelength red light forming a focal point behind the retina. The investigators hypothesize that such chromatic aberrations, induced by exposure to red or blue LED lights, will cause the choroid behind the retina to respond to bring the image into focus by modulating its thickness, either thickening in the case of blue light or thinning in the case of red light. The magnitude and direction of this response is difficult to predict as previous studies have shown opposite findings in non-human primates and rodents. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that exposure to red or blue light will induce changes in how the pupil responds to light, because the cells in the eye that are involved in pupil control are most sensitive to blue light.

Ambient light exposure is associated with choroid thickness and eye growth. The spectral composition of light, which has been shown to play a role in eye growth, can differentially regulate changes in choroid thickness by forming a focal point either in front of the retina in the case of short wavelength blue light or behind the retina in the case of long wavelength red light. In addition, melatonin suppression and the pupil light response, specifically, that driven by the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), are most sensitive to short wavelength blue light. Therefore, the role of the wavelength of light on eye growth may involve ipRGC activity. As such, it is relevant to determine whether exposure to monochromatic light will alter choroidal thickness, ipRGC activity and melatonin levels. The purpose of this study is to compare the short-term changes in choroid thickness, melatonin concentration, and the ipRGC-driven pupillary light response following one hour of light therapy with either short wavelength blue light or long wavelength red light. It has previously been shown that a one week period of daily morning light therapy produces a short term increase in choroid thickness throughout the day. Therefore, the investigators hypothesize that one hour of morning light therapy with short wavelength blue light will result in different effects in the changes in choroid thickness, melatonin levels, and the ipRGC-driven pupillary light response compared to one hour of morning light therapy with long wavelength red light.