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Long-term blue light rearing does not affect in vivo retinal function in young rhesus monkeys

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Abstract

Purpose

Exposure to blue light is thought to be harmful to the retina. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of long-term exposure to narrowband blue light on retinal function in rhesus monkeys.

Methods

Young rhesus monkeys were reared under short-wavelength “blue” light (n = 7; 465 nm, 183 ± 28 lx) on a 12-h light/dark cycle starting at 26 ± 2 days of age. Age-matched control monkeys were reared under broadband “white” light (n = 8; 504 ± 168 lx). Light- and dark-adapted full-field flash electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded at 330 ± 9 days of age. Photopic stimuli were brief red flashes (0.044–5.68 cd.s/m2) on a rod-saturating blue background and the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) standard 3.0 white flash on a 30 cd/m2 white background. Monkeys were dark adapted for 20 min and scotopic stimuli were ISCEV standard white flashes of 0.01, 3.0, and 10 cd.s/m2. A-wave, b-wave, and photopic negative response (PhNR) amplitudes were measured. Light-adapted ERGs in young monkeys were compared to ERGs in adult monkeys reared in white light (n = 10; 4.91 ± 0.88 years of age).

Results

For red flashes on a blue background, there were no significant differences in a-wave (P = 0.46), b-wave (P = 0.75), and PhNR amplitudes (P = 0.94) between white light and blue light reared monkeys for all stimulus energies. ISCEV standard light- and dark-adapted a- and b-wave amplitudes were not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05 for all). There were no significant differences in a- and b-wave implicit times between groups for all ISCEV standard stimuli (P > 0.05 for all). PhNR amplitudes of young monkeys were significantly smaller compared to adult monkeys for all stimulus energies (P < 0.05 for all). There were no significant differences in a-wave (P = 0.19) and b-wave (P = 0.17) amplitudes between young and adult white light reared monkeys.

Conclusions

Long-term exposure to narrowband blue light did not affect photopic or scotopic ERG responses in young monkeys. Findings suggest that exposure to 12 h of daily blue light for approximately 10 months does not result in altered retinal function.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Hope Queener for the MATLAB program and Dr. Alexander Schill for help with the blue light exposure limit calculations.

Funding

Supported by National Institute of Health Grants R01 EY003611 and P30 EY007551, and funds from the Brien Holden Vision Institute and the UH Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Linjiang Lou, Laura J. Frishman, Krista M. Beach, Lakshmi Rajagopalan, Li-Fang Hung, Zhihui She, Earl L. Smith III & Lisa A. Ostrin

  2. Brien Holden Vision Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Li-Fang Hung & Earl L. Smith III

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  1. Linjiang Lou
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Correspondence to Lisa A. Ostrin.

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Conflict of interest

ELS holds patents for optical and pharmaceutical treatment strategies for myopia and is a paid consultant for SightGlass Vision Inc., Treehouse Eyes Inc., and Vision CRC USA. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Study procedures were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Houston.

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Lou, L., Frishman, L.J., Beach, K.M. et al. Long-term blue light rearing does not affect in vivo retinal function in young rhesus monkeys. Doc Ophthalmol 147, 45–57 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-023-09931-0

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