Centre for Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
J Biol Rhythms. 2010 Apr;25(2):123-31. doi: 10.1177/0748730409360888.
Light is the signal that entrains the biological clock in humans to the 24-hour external time. Recently, it has been shown that short wavelengths play a key role in this process. In the present study, we describe a procedure to measure, objectively and in a quick way, the spectral composition of the light reaching the retina in vivo. The instruments involved are the foveal reflection analyzer (FRA) and the macular pigment reflectometer (MPR). By making use of these reflectometers, we show quantitatively that in subjects with cataracts, the light input is especially reduced in the short wavelength range. After cataract surgery during which the crystalline lens is replaced by a transparent artificial lens, the transmittance of the short wavelengths (between 420-500 nm) improved on average by a factor of 4. We conclude that this technique holds great promises for the chronobiological field because it allows for quantification of the spectral composition and light levels reaching the retina in vivo.
光是将人类的生物钟与 24 小时的外部时间同步的信号。最近，人们已经证明，短波长在这个过程中起着关键作用。在本研究中，我们描述了一种客观、快速测量到达活体视网膜的光光谱组成的方法。所涉及的仪器是黄斑反射分析仪（FRA）和黄斑色素反射计（MPR）。利用这些反射计，我们定量地表明，在白内障患者中，短波长范围内的光输入特别减少。在白内障手术后，晶状体被透明的人工晶状体取代，短波长（420-500nm 之间）的透过率平均提高了 4 倍。我们得出结论，这项技术在生物钟领域有很大的应用前景，因为它可以量化到达活体视网膜的光谱组成和光水平。
