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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.
根据本周发表在《老年学杂志》上的一项新研究，只要凝视深红色光几分钟，就能有效地预防视力衰退。
"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.
该研究的首席作者、伦敦大学学院眼科研究所神经科学系教授格伦·杰弗瑞说：“你不用看很长时间红光，就能有立竿见影的效果。”
The science works, Jeffery said, because the light stimulates the health of mitochondria, which are like batteries in our cells.
杰弗瑞说，其科学原理在于红光可以增进线粒体的健康，线粒体就像我们身体细胞的电池。
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.
因为线粒体衰退牵涉到许多疾病，这样的发现可能有助于启发帕金森症和糖尿病等疾病的新疗法。
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.
这项研究是一个小型的试点项目，旨在测试这一概念。研究人员招募了12名男性和12名女性，他们的年龄在28岁到72岁之间。每位参与者都分到了一个手持的小手电筒，可以发出波长670纳米的红光。这种红光的波长接近可见光谱波长最长的一端，只有人眼通常看不见的红外线的波长才比它短。
They spent three minutes each day looking into the light over a period of two weeks.
在两周时间内，参与者每天花三分钟凝视红光。
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.
这种红光对眼睛的视锥细胞和视杆细胞都产生了作用。根据美国眼科学会，视锥细胞是可以察觉颜色的感光细胞，在光线明亮的情况下最能发挥作用。数量庞大得多的视杆细胞是视网膜细胞，主要功能是帮我们在光线昏暗时看见东西。
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.
研究人员通过让参与者识别对比度低的有颜色的字母来衡量他们的视锥细胞功能，通过让参与者在黑暗中识别光信号来衡量他们的视杆细胞功能。
There was a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors, or cone color contrast sensitivity, for the entire two dozen participants.
在24名参与者中，有14%的人辨认颜色的能力或视锥细胞颜色对比敏感度提高了。
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.
视力提高最显著的是40岁以上的参与者。在研究过程中，这一年龄段的人的视锥细胞颜色对比敏感度上升了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.
该年龄段的人的视杆细胞功能也显著增强了，也就是在弱光环境下看见东西的能力。40岁以下的参与者也经历了视力改善，但是没有年长者那么显著。年轻人的眼睛不像年长者的眼睛衰退得那么严重。
"The retina ages faster than any other organ in your body," Jeffery said. "From an evolutionary perspective, we fundamentally have never lived past 40."
杰弗瑞说：“视网膜衰老的速度比人体的其他器官都要快。从进化角度来说，人类器官的使用寿命只有40年。”
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.
现在，一般人的寿命当然都会超过40岁，于是就需要各种方式来保养那些几千年来最早衰老的器官。
But more studies are needed to prove it helps.
不过还需要更多研究才能证明红光对视力有帮助。
"We're all going to suffer from aging. So let's try to go gently if we can," Jeffery said.
杰弗瑞说：“我们都将受到衰老的折磨。如果可以的话，让我们优雅地老去。”
