Frequently Asked Questions: Visual Performance

Q. How does increased macular pigment affect contrast sensitivity?

A. The macular pigment absorbs harmful blue light – like the background of the sky, more than an object in the foreground, like a baseball or tennis ball. Therefore, a larger contrast between the two is created resulting in seeing the ball better.  Increased macular pigment can improve contrast sensitivity by 75%.

Q. How can thicker or more dense macular pigment improve photostress recovery (ability to see “normally” after intense bright light exposure)?

A. A research paper by Stringham and Hammond, 2007 demonstrated that photostress recovery time improved significantly – up to 3 seconds – with increased macular pigment levels.

Q. How does increased macular pigment help with seeing through haze?

A. Scattered light obscures vision in the distance and reduces visual range or visibility. Macular pigment absorbs scattered light allowing one to “see through” the scatter.

Q. Does visual performance decrease over time because of age or other factors?

A. Potentially both. As we age, our macular pigment (think of this as your “internal sunglasses” – helps protect your eye and vision) can become thin. As it becomes thin, we may lose some of our visual performance, and things may not seem as “sharp” or the contrast between images or objects may not be as apparent.

Q. What does glare recovery mean? Does it have to do with night driving?

A. If you are sensitive to glare, you may have difficulty driving at night as oncoming headlights may seem “blinding.” Your macular pigment can help decrease this sensitivity, thus enabling you to drive more comfortably but also more safely. The “recovery” time from being “blinded” by oncoming lights can decrease significantly, allowing you to drive “normally” quicker. Consider the following illustration if you were “temporarily blinded” because of an inability to recover from glare quickly.

Imagine driving at 60 mph with your eyes closed for five (5) seconds. You would travel 440 feet during that five (5) second period. That’s the equivalent of driving nearly 1 1/2 football fields blind.

Q. How can macular pigment enable faster reaction time?

A. Macular pigment is comprised largely of Zeaxnathin, a natural carotenoid (protective pigment) found in the back of the eye and the brain. The retina is actually part of the brain that extends into the eye, so therefore increased macular pigment in the back of the eye improves temporal processing speed, as signals to the brain from the eye happen quicker, resulting in faster reaction times. It has been demonstrated that reaction time can be increased by up to 15% through increased macular pigment.