Effects of different monochromatic lights on refractive development and eye growth in guinea pigs

We investigated whether different monochromatic lights with similar luminance or identical light quantum number produce predictable changes in refractive state and eye growth in early eye development in guinea pigs. In experiment I, three groups of guinea pigs (two weeks of age, n = 18 in each group) were reared for 12 weeks under LED lighting of 430 nm (short-wavelength light, SL), 530 nm (middle-wavelength light, ML), and broad-band light (BL). The lighting conditions were set to provide equal levels of luminance. All animals underwent refraction and biometric measurements every 2 weeks. In experiment II, the lighting conditions were set at equal quantum number and another three groups of guinea pigs were raised and tested for 20 weeks. In experiment I, compared to the BL group, refraction of the ML group was less hyperopic (P < 0.001) with a faster vitreous extension (P < 0.001), while the SL group was more hyperopic with a slower vitreous elongation (P < 0.001). The mean difference in refraction between the SL and ML groups reached about 4.5 D at maximum. The refractive changes and eye growth in experiment II were very similar to experiment I during the first 12 weeks, but the difference in refraction between the SL and ML groups reached 6.05 D after 20 weeks of treatment, which was greater than the longitudinal chromatic aberration (approximately 1.5 D) in the guinea pigs eyes. The results suggest that the guinea pigs’ eyes overcompensated in response to narrow-band light, which resulted in an exaggerated and inaccurate refractive growth.

► Different monochramatic lights produce distinct changes in refraction.
► The most relative component is vitreous chamber.
► Longitudinal chromatic aberration contributes to early eye development.
► Stimulating different types of cone can lead to characteristic development.