Dark glasses aim to combat effects of jet-lag

IT may not be quite Jordi's visor from Star Trek, but glowing glasses claiming to combat jet lag have been developed by scientists in Australia.

The hi-tech glasses use blue and green light to fool the body clock. “Bright light is the tool which retimes our body clocks”, according to Dr Leon Lack from Flinders University in Adelaide.

A team of researchers there has designed 5mm wide light-emitting diodes, which reset travellers’ confused body clocks. The diodes are fitted on to the frame of ordinary glasses, and are powered by a 9 volt battery carried in a pocket.

Psychological tests carried out on volunteers on intercontinental flights have found passengers experience mood disturbances, are not as alert as normal and their decision-making abilities are reduced.

The study also found a decline in muscle strength and endurance among passengers travelling on long-distance flights. Hunger and heartburn were also experienced at odd times of the day.

Our body clocks operate according to light and sound. Light, dark, noise and silence are the body’s indicators to tell it when to sleep and wake. Light is the most important factor of all these.

The blue and green light frequencies that the diodes emit, have been found to stimulate the brain and enable wearers to wind the body clock forwards and backwards, Dr Lack has found.If the glasses are to be effective however, they should be worn for at least three hours a day for a minimum of two days before a long-distance flight.

Stimulation to the brain with bright coloured light has the ability to shift the body’s natural timing pattern, and it is on this principle the research team in Adelaide based their experiments.

Once the plane lands, the glasses should prevent the effects of jet lag. Along with helping travellers beat jet lag, the glasses might help to prevent insomnia, shift work fatigue and even tackle winter depression.

If the glasses are successful, they could be used by Australian athletes flying to the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Jet lag can halt athletes from training fully for up to three days, so the glasses could prove a breakthrough.