Part 3 of 3 (Part 1, Part 2)

By John Ott

Does Solar UV Cause Cataracts?

No! There are some individuals who believe sunlight may be a causal factor in the development of senile cataracts. Epidemiology, the science which attempts to relate cause for a biologic effect, does not bear this out. The results of Corning's study indicate there is no scientific evidence of association between sunlight and cataracts. In a recent letter, the Surgeon General of the United States expressed a similar opinion.

An example of the danger involved in classifying gross variations in data obtained merely as an exception is evident in an article entitled "Pterygium Among Veterans" (Archives of Ophthalmology, August 1963).

A high incidence of pterygium, an abnormal growth on the eye that impairs vision, was found in a group of veterans who had been stationed in the desert area of the southwestern part of the United States. It was first suggested that the dust and blowing sand in this area may have been a contributing factor. However, an equally high incidence of pterygiurn was found in servicemen returning from the high-rainfall areas of the South Pacific.

It was concluded that the only factor common to both these areas was the high-intensity sunlight and ultraviolet light. The article then mentioned a major exception to these findings, a group of Cree Indians in northern Manitoba, Canada, who were found to have an unusually high rate of pterygium. However, at this latitude these Indians would definitely not be subjected to the high-intensity ultraviolet in tropical sunlight.

Accordingly, I personally investigated this situation and found this group of Cree Indians had been issued specially designed sunglasses, of the wrap-around kind, and trimmed with leather to prevent even the slightest bit of ultraviolet sunlight from reaching the eyes.

These special sunglasses had been issued in connection with an earlier experiment designed to study problems of glare, etc. from the snow and ice. When the study was completed, these people were allowed to keep their sunglasses. Shortly thereafter, in checking a limited number of individuals who had developed pterygiurn while on military duty in the tropics, I found that all had constantly worn prescription sunglasses.

The article did not state whether any consideration was given to the wearing of sunglasses, which is almost universally done in the tropical areas; however, in view of the findings regarding the Cree Indians and the servicemen returning from the tropics who did wear sunglasses and developed pterygium, it would appear that the conclusions drawn -- that the ultraviolet in sunlight is a causative factor of pterygium -- cannot be justified.

The July, 1971 issue of Annals of Ophthalmology carried an editorial, "Light: A Double-Edged Sword," which noted the work of Drs. Noell and Albrecht at the Neurosensory Laboratory of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Quoting from the April 2, 1971 issue of Science, it states:

Exposure to normal light may result in deterioration of the visual cells and degenerative changes in the underlying pigmented epithelium... in from 7 to 10 days' exposure to continuous light of 110 lux intensity from ordinary light bulbs.

The June, 1974 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology contained an article entitled "Near-Ultraviolet Light Effects on the Lenses and Retinas of Mice," by Drs. Seymour Zigman and Thurma Vaughan, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology) and Animal Medicine, The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry:

Exposure of albino mice to ncar-ultraviolet (black) light for 12 hours a day over a period of 90 weeks led to pathologic changes in the lens and retina... Opacities were observed from 50 weeks on. In the retina, outer segment thinning was first noted after 10 weeks....

In the August, 1970 issue of the Journal of Pediatrics (77(2): 221-227), appears an article entitled "Retinal Changes Produced by Phototherapy." The authors are Thomas R. C. Sisson,M.D.; Stanley C. Glauser, M.D., Ph.D.; and Elinor M. Glauser, M.D., from the Departments of Pediatrics, Pharmacology, and Ophthalmology, Temple University School of Medicine, and Howe Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Harvard University Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. The study was supported in part by three separate grants from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

In order to determine if retinal damage occurs during phototherapy of the newborn infant, twelve newborn piglet litter mates were continuously exposed for 72 hours to a bank of 10 high intensity blue 20-watt fluorescent lights at a distance of 46 cm (18 inches). The light intensity at this distance was 300 foot candles. A Plexiglas shield .5 inch think was used to filter all wavelengths below 390 mm, that is, all or any ultraviolet that might be emitted from the blue fluorescent tubes.

The right eye of each piglet was dilated daily with atropine, 0.5%, and the left eye was covered with a patch so that 99.5% or better of the light was blocked. Histological observation revealed retinal damage in all the right eyes dilated with atropine and exposed to intense blue light. One piglet lost its eye patch for a period of less than twelve hours during the second day of the experiment and was later found to be clinically blind in both eyes.

Except for the piglet that lost its eye patch, no retinal damage was reported in the protected left eyes of the other five experimental piglets. The control piglets were kept in the usual low level illumination of the animal colony and with a diurnal rhythm of 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness. Histological observations revealed well developed retinas in all the control animals.

However, a study of the complete article reveals additional data. The authors indicate that if a green filter is used over a light source of 1500 lux, severe retinal damage results in 40 hours.

At the end of the article, it is stated that the information now available on the indicated harmful effects of ordinary visible light is already being put to use therapeutically in cases of hereditary retinitis pigmentosa. By completely excluding light with an opaque flush-fitting scleral contact lens in one eye (in order to preserve one retina), it is hoped to double the patient's visual lifetime.

However, before starting any such "protective" therapy, I suggest reading the paper by Chow, K.L., Riesen, A.H., and Newell, R.W., "Degeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells in Infant Chimpanzees Reared in Darkness," in the Journal of Comparative Neurology (107:27-42, 1957).

The above articles indicate how common the practice is in orthodox ophthalmological scientific research to use high intensities of light for long periods of time on laboratory animals with their eyelids secured open and their pupils fully dilated in order to show damaging results.

The following sequence of pictures shows how important all the wavelengths in full-spectrum light are in both the process of photosynthesis in plants and metabolism, or the process of biological combustion, in animals.

When both filters are removed so that the cells again receive the full spectrum of light, and especially the normal amount of ultraviolet wavelengths, then all the chloroplasts resume their normal streaming pattern to both ends of each cell. These pictures clearly show that different chloroplasts have different wavelength absorption bands and that the full light spectrum is essential in order to produce a complete process of photosynthesis.

The process of photosynthesis is very complicated, and all the finer details as to just how it works are not yet fully understood, but in general it is described as being a process of the conversion of light energy into chemical energy. It therefore seems obvious that if the characteristics of the source of energy are altered, the end results or the chemistry of the cell will also be altered.

The seasonal changes in the length of daylight and darkness are known to control many biological responses in both plants and animals. The different biological responses of plants and animals to changes in both the wavelength characteristics or color of light and the seasonal variations in the length of daylight and darkness is what my three previous books* are mostly all about, so it would be impractical to try to include everything at this time.

*My Ivory Cellar, Chicago: Twentieth Century Press, 1958.
Health and Light, Old Greenwich, Connecticut: The Devin-Adair Company, 1982; paperback edition with updating chapter, New York: Pockct Books, 1976.

Light, Radiation and You, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, The Devin-Adair Company, 1982; paperback edition with updating chapter, Old Greenwich, Connecticut: The Devin-Adair Company, 1985.

However, I will briefly mention one of the more unusual problems I encountered in trying to make certain flowers dance to the faster beat of Dixieland music instead of the slower rhythm of a Strauss waltz. Trying to speed up the normal day and night responses of the flowers to artificially controlled two-hour periods of light and darkness just would not work. I also discovered that some of the nighttime or dark period responses of the plants were not just to the absence of daylight but actually a positive response to some kind of natural nighttime radiation which the human eye does not see.

Such nonsense as making Tiger Lilies dance to the Dixieland rhythm of "Tiger Rag" and Primroses to a Strauss waltz may not be the most scientific approach to the subject of the periodicity of the solar light-dark circadian cycle on biological reactions, but, together with the chloroplast pictures, they did lead to a more controlled research project involving the human eye. This project was started in 1961 working with the research people from the Wills Eye Hospital and Research Institute located in Philadelphia.

At that time, it had become generally known to ophthalmologists that some of the new tranquilizer drugs that were being introduced on the market were causing various side effects in a layer of cells located right behind the rods and cones of the retina. These cells are known as pigment epithelial cells, but very little was known as to what their function was in the eye. However, the ophthalmologists were quite certain they had nothing to do with vision.

I was asked to do a time-lapse microscopic study of the effects of adding some of the different drugs used in the tranquilizers into the growth media for the pigment epithelial cells while the time-lapse pictures were being taken. It was hoped to learn more about just what was causing the abnormal side effects of the tranquilizers.

To take these pictures, I used a new type of phase-contrast microscope that showed up the details of the cell structure without having to stain them with various dyes, as was a customary procedure with the ordinary standard type of microscope.

The dye used to stain the cells to increase the contrast of the pictures would also kill the cells, so the new type phase-contrast microscope that would produce the added contrast to the picture in order to better see the inner structure of the cells without killing them was a tremendous advantage in studying the effects of the drugs on the pigment epithelial cells while they continued to grow and react.

The mechanics of this phase contrast microscope are such that you get the greatest contrast and sharpest image through it by using what is called a monochromatic light, or more simply described as a light of a single color. To obtain this, a set of different colored filters is supplied with the microscope so that, with a little experimenting, the right one can easily be selected that gives the greatest contrast with any particular subject being photographed.

To the amazement of everyone interested in this project, the resulting pictures showed very clearly that the color of the filter used in the light source of the microscope in many cases produced a greater abnormal result or side effect in the pigment epithelial cells than the drugs being tested. These pictures also further indicated the need for full-spectrum light containing all of the visible wavelengths, plus the normal proportionate amount of ultraviolet.

Text accompanying PLATES 13-15 (not pictured):

PLATE 13; Without any ultraviolet light, the pigment granules in the cell become sluggish and clump together. The process of mitosis stops and the cell tissue just seems to show signs of accelerated degeneration.

PLATE 14 Again, just like the chloroplasts in the cells of Elodca grass, when the ultraviolet filter is removed and the cells receive the full-spectrurn light, the clumping of the pigment granules breaks up and the cells resume the normal process of mitosis.

PLATE 15 - Too much ultraviolet will cause the cell to literally burst like too much air pressure will cause a bicycle or automobile tire to blow out. But that does not mean air is basically hazardous to all tires and that you would get more mileage by running on them flat.

Clumping of the red blood cells in the vascular system has long been considered a major problem by many scientists. Such clumping blocks the flow of blood to the very small capillaries where oxygen and nutritive material in the blood pass into the body tissues, and carbon dioxide and waste matter are absorbed into the bloodstream.

The sole Function of the larger arteries and veins is to transport the blood to the capillaries. Lack of the normal blood supply is thought to be a major contributing cause of many degenerative diseases associated with old age, including senility and Alzheimer's disease. Various medications to thin the blood and diet are the usual remedies.

More recently, however, some doctors are recognizing the electric potential and magnetic polarity in living cells that goes back to the Yin-Yang theory of ancient China, and they are trying to break any such electrical attraction between cells with medication to control their pH.

Another comparatively new field of study involves the effects of negative and positive ions and their effects on human health and general well being: physical, psychological and emotional. A quick glance into any encyclopedia will show that the subject of ions and ionization is very complicated, but, in general, too high a level of positive ions in the air causes a person to feel depressed, fatigued, irritable, and generally upset.

More negative ions produce the opposite effect and make a person feel invigorated, enlivened, and happier. However, from my own personal experience in working with negative ion generators, I firmly believe that too high a ratio of negative ions is not good, either.

A number of different models of negative ion generators are now readily available on the market for use in homes, offices, work or recreational areas. They are also recommended for clearing the air of smoke and other pollutants.

They do this by giving off negatively charged ions that attach themselves to the particles of pollutants in the air and give them an overall negative charge. These particles are then attracted to a positively charged grid in the negative ion generator device, where they accumulate to the extent that they must be periodically cleaned away.

Now, in order to tie several threads of thought together, if you think of the particles of pollutants being attracted to the grid in the ion generator as clumping together, as this is what they are really doing, then this might explain the general problem of clumping with regard to the chloroplasts, pigment granules, and red blood cells.

Albright advises that recent studies done at the Environmental Systems, Inc. with a new highly sophisticated ion counter manufactured in Germany have indicated that the ion count from such electronic devices as TV sets, video display terminals, and unshielded fluorescent tubes is extremely high on the positive side, around 900-1000 positive, and virtually no negative.

Ultraviolet light is one of the best producers of negative ions, and Albright further advises that where the radiation-shielded, full-spectrum (with a little added ultraviolet) Ott-Lite have been installed, the ion balance equals out at about 450 positive and 450 negative, which is considered ideal.

People who had been working with VDTs in the areas where the new lighting has been installed and who had been complaining about all the health problems: eye strain, headache, fatigue, as well as more serious things associated particularly with VDTs, now say all their problems seem to have vanished into thin air. Preliminary figures do show definite substantial increases in work production and less absenteeism. Sounds too good to be true, but time will tell.

In addition to the usual blood chemistry tests done in the past, some doctors are now examining the blood's physical appearance using dark field microscopy (Livcell Analysis). Dr. James H. Martin of Sarasota is utilizing this technique, and we have been working together to produce the results as shown in Plates 16 and 17.

It all does seem to tie in with the results of the light studies on the pumpkin plants, tropical fish, chinchillas, the fifteen people at Bellevue Medical Center, all the studies with laboratory animals, the Sarasota school children, chickens, and now, also, turkeys, hogs, and dairy cattle.

The normal, slight lowering of the body temperature during the dark nighttime period and the rise during the daytime are also very important in stimulating the process of mitosis. For further information on the importance of variations in temperature on the growth of both plants and animals.

In addition to the malignant melanoma articles published in The Lancet, there have been other articles in various journals specif ically relating mutagenicity and malignant transformation in tissue culture studies to fluorescent light. The following titles are listed as examples:

"Mutagenicity and Toxicity of Visible Fluorescent Light to Cultured Mammalian Cells," Matthews 0. Bradley (National Cancer Institute) 3rid Nancy A. Sharkey, Nature, Vol. 266, 21 April 1977, pp. 274-726.

"Fluorescent Light Induces Malignant Transformation in Mouse Embryo Cell Cultures," Ann R. Kennedy (Harvard School of Public Health), Science, Vol. 207, 14 March 1980, pp. 1209-1211,

"Genetic Damage in Eschcrichia coli K12 AB2480 by Broad-Spectrum Near Ultraviolet Radiation," Robert B. Webb (Argonne National Laboratory) Science, Vol. 215, 19 February 1982, pp. 991-993.

"Toxicity and Mutagenicity of Radiation from Fluorescent Lamps and a Sunlamp in L5178Y Mouse Lymphoma Cells," Elizabeth D. Jacobson (Bureau of Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration), Mutation Research, 51 (1979), 61-75.

These articles list numerous other references to similar results obtained by other researchers using fluorescent lights. As a pretty general rule, all of the abnormal biological responses attributed to fluorescent lights are blamed on that "theoretical" trace amount of ultraviolet light that seems to be more or less assumed to come from all fluorescent tubes.

International Journal of Biosocial Research Volume 7 1985

Birds & Lighting

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Synchronizing Light to Treat Depression

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