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Relative light transmittance. Spectral composition of relative light transmittance through the ocular lens of an average 25-year-old subject without (continuous black line, from Van de Kraats & Van Norren, 2007) and with the SOCL (dashed black line), in comparison with an average cataractous eye (n ¼ 14 patients) (gray line from Giménez et al., 2010).
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Light is an important environmental stimulus for the entrainment of the circadian clock and for increasing alertness. The intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells in the retina play an important role in transferring this light information to the circadian system and they are elicited in particular by short-wavelength light. Exposure to short wav...
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... the short wavelengths range (420-500 nm), the reduction in transmittance was 53% and 57% when considering the melanopsin sensitivity peak (480 nm). Figure 1 compares the relative light transmittance per wave- length (400-700 nm) of an average 25-year healthy subject without (van de Kraats & van Norren, 2007) and with the SOCL, with the average transmission of cataractous eyes of 14 elderly subjects whose ret- inal light reflectance is severely reduced (data from Giménez et al., 2010). ...
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... sleep) [30,31]. This implies that circadian amplitude effects could be more pronounced in individuals who generally live under more dimly lit circumstances, in alignment with studies linking increased daytime light exposure to better sleep in older individuals [32][33][34]. [27] under constant routine conditions [6] and model fits from [20][21][22]. Phase shift curves are adjusted for the natural drift of the clock (-0.54 h, gray horizontal dashed line). ...
... This provides further support for considering age-related differences in lighting solutions for visual and non-visual optimization, as retinal irradiance varies as a function of the pupil area, and thus smaller pupil sizes result in reduced retinal illumination. A study by Giménez et al. [79] suggests that light-induced melatonin reduction in healthy young people might adapt to long-term reductions in short-wavelength light through filters. Whether this is the case in an older population experiencing symptoms of the ageing eye, such as lens yellowing, photoreceptor loss and pupil size reduction, remains an important research question. ...
Vision is mediated by light passing through the pupil, which changes in diameter from approximately 2 to 8 mm between bright and dark illumination. With age, mean pupil size declines. In laboratory experiments, factors affecting pupil size can be experimentally controlled. How the pupil reflects the change in retinal input from the visual environment under natural viewing conditions is unclear. We address this question in a field experiment (N = 83, 43 female, 18–87 years) using a custom-made wearable video-based eye tracker with a spectroradiometer measuring near-corneal spectral irradiance. Participants moved in and between indoor and outdoor environments varying in spectrum and engaged in a range of everyday tasks. Our data confirm that light-adapted pupil size is determined by light level, with a better model fit of melanopic over photopic units, and that it decreased with increasing age, yielding steeper slopes at lower light levels. We found no indication that sex, iris colour or reported caffeine consumption affects pupil size. Our exploratory results point to a role of photoreceptor integration in controlling steady-state pupil size. The data provide evidence for considering age in personalized lighting solutions and against the use of photopic illuminance alone to assess the impact of real-world lighting conditions.
... They might also result from adaptation mechanisms of the nonvisual response per se. For instance, Giménez et al., 49 showed that melatonin suppression was lower in subjects wearing blue-blocking contact lenses during a 30 min light exposure. However, after 16 days of continuously wearing blue-blocking lens, melatonin suppression was not different anymore from the control condition (normal contact lenses) in young healthy adults. ...
Age‐related sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances may be due to altered nonvisual photoreception. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of light‐induced melatonin suppression in young and older individuals. In a within‐subject design study, young and older participants were exposed for 60 min (0030‐0130 at night) to nine narrow‐band lights (range: 420−620 nm). Plasma melatonin suppression was calculated at 15, 30, 45, and 60 min time intervals. Individual spectral sensitivity of melatonin suppression and photoreceptor contribution were predicted for each interval and age group. In young participants, melanopsin solely drove melatonin suppression at all time intervals, with a peak sensitivity at 485.3 nm established only after 15 min of light exposure. Conversely, in older participants, spectral light‐driven melatonin suppression was best explained by a more complex model combining melanopsin, S‐cone, and M‐cone functions, with a stable peak (~500 nm) at 30, 45, and 60 min of light exposure. Aging is associated with a distinct photoreceptor contribution to melatonin suppression by light. While in young adults melanopsin‐only photoreception is a reliable predictor of melatonin suppression, in older individuals this process is jointly driven by melanopsin, S‐cone, and M‐cone functions. These findings offer new prospects for customizing light therapy for older individuals.
... The results of these studies showed that the influence of light history and seasonal changes have an impact on the circadian rhythm of melatonin production [20,27]. Additionally, studies dealing with short-wavelength reduction showed no effect of short-wavelength reduction during the day on melatonin production and circadian system synchronization [28][29][30]. ...
... Other studies support these results. A fourteen-day study in which participants wore lenses blocking more than 50 % of short-wavelength light did not find changes in the evening and early night melatonin production [29]. Similarly, Domagalik et al. (2020) reported that the extended (4 weeks) wearing of amber contact lenses, which blocked blue light, did not affect levels of melatonin nor DLMO [30]. ...
... Similarly, Domagalik et al. (2020) reported that the extended (4 weeks) wearing of amber contact lenses, which blocked blue light, did not affect levels of melatonin nor DLMO [30]. Giménez et al. (2014) suggested this could be due to the adaptation of healthy organisms to a reduced light spectrum [29]. Consistent with previous studies, the results of our study also indicate the ability of humans to adapt to short-term spectral changes in light. ...
Light is the main entrainment agent of the circadian system and has an important effect on the synchronization of biological rhythms. Technical innovations in buildings with advanced glazing systems or shadings can lead to changes in daylight spectral composition in indoor spaces. Our study aimed to find out the effect of a shortwavelength light-reduced environment on the main hormone melatonin metabolite 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in
urine (u-sMEL) and to test the connection between light exposure from the previous day and u-sMEL. Twenty-two participants spent five consecutive working days in the office under normal daylight conditions (reference) followed by five days in spectrally modified light conditions (experimental). The light environment was modified by the blue light-blocking glazing system, which significantly reduced melanopic illuminance in the experimental week. Three urine samples were collected daily and u-sMEL concentrations were measured by ELISA. Light exposure was monitored at the participant’s eye level with LightWatcher and in the office by a stationary spectrophotometer.
The reduction of short-wavelength light during the day did not change the concentration of u-sMEL. In the reference week, there was a positive correlation between personal photopic illuminance and u-sMEL. Both morning and work illuminance under reference conditions influenced u-sMEL production. The significant impact
of illuminance on u-sMEL was found by evaluation of the mean of all three urine samples. In the experimental week, the correlation between illuminance and u-sMEL was not found. The short wavelength and intensity reduction in interiors led to changes in the response of the human biological system to light.
... A system of non-visual responses to light adapts to digital media screens. Over time, the melatonin suppression due to blue light diminishes (Giménez et al., 2014). In order to adequately account for those two mechanisms, future research should measure not only sleep outcomes, but also media response states that were identified in the literature as potential mediators, for example psychological arousal or melatonin suppression (Cain & Gradisar, 2010). ...
Previous research associated smartphone use with worsened sleep among adolescents. However, the prior findings were mainly based on cross-sectional, self-reported data, and a between-person level of analysis. This study examined between- and within-person associations for adolescents’ smartphone use and multiple sleep outcomes: sleep onset time, sleep onset latency, sleep duration, subjective sleep quality, and subjective daily sleepiness. The participants were 201 Czech adolescents (aged 13–17) who daily reported their sleep outcomes, daily stressors, and other media use for 14 consecutive days via a custom-made research app on their smartphones. The app also collected logs of the participants’ smartphone use. We found that interindividual differences within the average volume of smartphone use before sleep were not associated with differences in sleep outcomes. At the within-person level, we found that, when adolescents used smartphones before sleep for longer than usual, they went to sleep earlier (β = − .12) and slept longer (β = − .11). However, these two associations were weak. No other sleep outcomes were affected by the increased use of a smartphone before sleep on a given day. We found no interaction effects for age, gender, insomnia symptoms, media use, or daily stressors. However, the association between smartphone use and earlier sleep onset time was stronger on nights before a non-school day. Our findings suggest that the link between smartphone use and adolescent sleep is more complex, and not as detrimental, as claimed in some earlier studies.
... It has been reported that reduced daytime light exposure in winter enhances melatonin suppression [27]. It has also been shown that wearing contact lenses that block short-wavelength light from 30 min before a 2-h nocturnal light pulse until the end of the pulse attenuates melatonin suppression, whereas after wearing the contact lenses for 16 days, melatonin secretion is suppressed to the same degree as that in the control condition [58]. In other words, attenuation of retinal illuminance associated with changes in crystalline lens transmittance and pupil size in older adults can be viewed as changes in long-term light history, which may have resulted in increased (apparently maintained) light sensitivity as a physiological adaptation. ...
Physiological effects of light exposure in humans are diverse. Among them, the circadian rhythm phase shift effect in order to maintain a 24-h cycle of the biological clock is referred to as non-visual effects of light collectively with melatonin suppression and pupillary light reflex. The non-visual effects of light may differ depending on age, and clarifying age-related differences in the non-visual effects of light is important for providing appropriate light environments for people of different ages. Therefore, in various research fields, including physiological anthropology, many studies on the effects of age on non-visual functions have been carried out in older people, children and adolescents by comparing the effects with young adults. However, whether the non-visual effects of light vary depending on age and, if so, what factors contribute to the differences have remained unclear. In this review, results of past and recent studies on age-related differences in the non-visual effects of light are presented and discussed in order to provide clues for answering the question of whether non-visual effects of light actually vary depending on age. Some studies, especially studies focusing on older people, have shown age-related differences in non-visual functions including differences in melatonin suppression, circadian phase shift and pupillary light reflex, while other studies have shown no differences. Studies showing age-related differences in the non-visual effects of light have suspected senile constriction and crystalline lens opacity as factors contributing to the differences, while studies showing no age-related differences have suspected the presence of a compensatory mechanism. Some studies in children and adolescents have shown that children’s non-visual functions may be highly sensitive to light, but the studies comparing with other age groups seem to have been limited. In order to study age-related differences in non-visual effects in detail, comparative studies should be conducted using subjects having a wide range of ages and with as much control as possible for intensity, wavelength component, duration, circadian timing, illumination method of light exposure, and other factors (mydriasis or non-mydriasis, cataracts or not in the older adults, etc.).
... For instance, Giménez et al., (2014) showed that melatonin suppression was lower in subjects wearing blue-blocking contact lenses during a 30-min light exposure. However, after 16 days of continuously wearing blue-blocking lens, melatonin suppression was not different anymore from the control condition (normal contact lenses) in young healthy adults. ...
Introduction: Age-related sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances may be due to altered non-visual photoreception. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of light-induced melatonin suppression in young and older individuals.
Methods: In a within-subject design study, young and older participants were exposed for 60 minutes (0030-0130 at night) to 9 narrow-band lights (range: 420 to 620 nm). Plasma melatonin suppression was calculated at 15, 30, 45, and 60 min time intervals. Individual spectral sensitivity of melatonin suppression and photoreceptor contribution were predicted for each interval and age group.
Results: In young participants, melanopsin solely drove melatonin suppression at all time intervals, with an invariant peak sensitivity at ~485 nm established only after 15 minutes of light exposure. Conversely, in older participants, spectral light-driven melatonin suppression was best explained by a model combining melanopsin + L-cones with a stable peak sensitivity (~499 nm) at 30, 45, and 60 minutes of light exposure.
Conclusion: Aging is associated with a distinct photoreceptor contribution to melatonin suppression by light. While in young adults melanopsin-only photoreception is a reliable predictor of melatonin suppression, in older individuals this process is jointly driven by melanopsin and L-cones. These findings offer new prospects for customizing light therapy for older individuals.
... Inpatient substance use treatment facilities can implement environmental considerations to help promote sleep health among the clients they serve. Being intentional about lighting (eliminating bright light at night and reducing ambient light in the nighttime) can be beneficial (Cain et al., 2020;Giménez et al., 2014). Research indicates that weighted blankets may also improve sleep disturbances and decrease anxiety (Ekholm et al., 2020;Meth et al., 2022). ...
Poor sleep health is consistently associated with the initiation of substance use, development of substance use disorders (SUDs), dropout from treatment, and return to use. Quality sleep health holds promise as a modifiable factor that can reduce the occurrence and severity of SUDs. Unfortunately, social workers typically receive little to no training in the assessment and evidence-based treatment of sleep disorders. This article, authored by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers, provides important sleep and SUD considerations for social workers. After providing a summary of the empirical literature surrounding the relationship between sleep and SUDs, we discuss the inclusion of the following in SUD treatment settings: (1) sleep health assessments, (2) psychoeducation on behaviors to promote healthy sleep, (3) referral to appropriate specialists when sleep disorders are suspected, (4) the promotion of a healthy sleep environment in residential treatment settings, and (5) evidenced-based behavioral interventions.
... Studies involving long-term alteration of ambient lighting have demonstrated that the circadian system can adapt to the spectral composition of light. Giménez et al. (2014) reported that using soft orange contact lenses to reduce short-wavelength light by approximately 50% for 2 weeks does not affect the melatonin rhythm or sleep parameters in humans. Similarly, Domagalik et al. (2020) found no changes in evening melatonin levels and sleep parameters after filtering out approximately 90% of short-wavelength light for 4 weeks; however, performance on cognitive tasks was significantly decreased. ...
Purpose: Light affects a variety of non-image forming processes, such as circadian rhythm entrainment and the pupillary light reflex, which are mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of long- and short-wavelength ambient lighting on activity patterns and pupil responses in rhesus monkeys.
Methods: Infant rhesus monkeys were reared under either broadband “white” light (n = 14), long-wavelength “red” light (n = 20; 630 nm), or short-wavelength “blue” light (n = 21; 465 nm) on a 12-h light/dark cycle starting at 24.1 ± 2.6 days of age. Activity was measured for the first 4 months of the experimental period using a Fitbit activity tracking device and quantified as average step counts during the daytime (lights-on) and nighttime (lights-off) periods. Pupil responses to 1 s red (651 nm) and blue (456 nm) stimuli were measured after approximately 8 months. Pupil metrics included maximum constriction and the 6 s post-illumination pupil response (PIPR).
Results: Activity during the lights-on period increased with age during the first 10 weeks (p < 0.001 for all) and was not significantly different for monkeys reared in white, red, or blue light (p = 0.07). Activity during the 12-h lights-off period was significantly greater for monkeys reared in blue light compared to those in white light (p = 0.02), but not compared to those in red light (p = 0.08). However, blue light reared monkeys exhibited significantly lower activity compared to both white and red light reared monkeys during the first hour of the lights-off period (p = 0.01 for both) and greater activity during the final hour of the lights-off period (p < 0.001 for both). Maximum pupil constriction and the 6 s PIPR to 1 s red and blue stimuli were not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05 for all).
Conclusion: Findings suggest that long-term exposure to 12-h narrowband blue light results in greater disruption in nighttime behavioral patterns compared to narrowband red light. Normal pupil responses measured later in the rearing period suggest that ipRGCs adapt after long-term exposure to narrowband lighting.
... Congenital achromats retain pupil constrictions to light 35 , which we have confirmed here in one patient. As the important biological variable for non-visual responses to light is retinal irradiance (rather than corneal irradiance) 68 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 use of blue-filtering contact lenses over a two-week period 71 or through the natural ageing 72 leads to an adaptation of the melatonin-suppressive response to light. A similar mechanism could be at play in congenital ACHM, indicating a flexible gain control mechanism that normalises the sensitivity of the circadian system to the range of habitual retinal illuminances. ...
Light exposure entrains the circadian clock through the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, which sense light in addition to the cone and rod photoreceptors. In congenital achromatopsia (prevalence 1:30–50,000), the cone system is non-functional, resulting in severe light avoidance and photophobia at daytime light levels. How this condition affects circadian and neuroendocrine responses to light is not known. In this case series of genetically confirmed congenital achromatopsia patients (n = 7; age 30–72 years; 6 women, 1 male), we examined survey-assessed sleep/circadian phenotype, self-reported visual function, sensitivity to light and use of spectral filters that modify chronic light exposure. In all but one patient, we measured rest-activity cycles using actigraphy over 3 weeks and measured the melatonin phase angle of entrainment using the dim-light melatonin onset. Due to their light sensitivity congenital achromatopsia patients used filters to reduce retinal illumination. Thus, congenital achromatopsia patients experienced severely attenuated light exposure. In aggregate, we found a tendency to a late chronotype. We found regular rest-activity patterns in all patients and normal phase angles of entrainment in participants with a measurable dim-light melatonin onset. Our results reveal that a functional cone system and exposure to daytime light intensities are not necessary for regular behavioural and hormonal entrainment, even when survey-assessed sleep and circadian phenotype indicated a tendency for a late chronotype and sleep problems in our congenital achromatopsia cohort.
