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12 Jul 2002
NASA's latest LEDs could soon be treating blindness and curing retinal diseases.
A new breed of high-power LEDs developed by NASA can help cure a wide range of eye injuries and diseases, according to a report in New Scientist. Harry Whelan and colleagues from the Medical College of Wisconsin, US, have tested the new 670 nm LEDs and say that blind rats recovered 95% of their sight after treatment.
Having blinded the rats using a high dose of methanol or wood alcohol, Whelan then exposed the retina to 105 seconds of light 5, 25 and 50 hours after being blinded.
"There was some tissue regeneration," he says. "Neurons, axons and dendrites may also be reconnecting." The researchers say that the retinas looked indistinguishable from those of normal rats after treatment. Their results will now be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lab studies on cells have shown that near infrared light boosts the activity of mitochondria, where the cell produces its energy. Now, these results have raised the hope that LEDs could be used to treat people with eye diseases caused by mitochondrial problems.
Whelan has already tested the LEDs on 30 children suffering from mucositis, a side effect of cancer chemotherapy causing sores to develop in the mouth and throat. The light eliminated the mucositis and is now being used to prevent it. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved further trials.
The researchers also believe this technique will help treat laser injuries to the retina, apart from areas where the cells have been completely destroyed.
Author
Jacqueline Hewett is news reporter on Optics.org and Opto & Laser Europe magazine.
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