September 6, 2011

Yellowing Eyes May Keep Seniors Awake

Yellowing of the eye lenses changes the array of incoming light wavelengths, which can affect circadian rhythms, including sleep patterns. Katherine Harmon reports

SUBSCRIBE TO 60-Second Health

Apple | Spotify | RSS

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Aging is not for the squeamish: skin sags, joints ache and hearing might start to go. And many seniors have trouble sleeping, which can lead to other health problems. Now research shows that a subtle consequence of aging may be responsible for the insomnia: the eye's lenses turn yellow.

The yellowing can take decades, like a page slowly turning color in an old book. But what does this color change have to do with sleep? The yellowed lens allows less blue light into the retina. And those wavelengths of light play a key role in regulating our circadian rhythm and sleep schedule.

The new study looked at 970 older adults, and found that those with the yellowest lenses also tended to report the most sleep disturbances. The findings are in the journal Sleep. [Line Kessel et al., "Sleep disturbances are related to decreased transmission of blue light to the retina caused by lens yellowing"]

Cataract surgery replaces the aging lens with an artificial one, which can let in broader ranges of light—and has been reported to improve sleep. It may be counterintuitive, but getting better shut-eye in the golden years might mean letting more light in.

—Katherine Harmon

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American