Compact fluorescent bulbs are already saving people money on electricity bills—could these light bulbs help save their vision, too?

That’s what researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are hoping, and they’ve already taken a step in that direction. They found that small increases in daily artificial light slowed the development of nearsightedness by 40% in tree shrews (close relatives of primates).

This study is the first to show that increasing daily fluorescent light levels can slow the development of myopia. The team used a goggle that lets in light but no images to produce myopia in one eye of each tree shrew.

They found that a group exposed to elevated fluorescent light levels for eight hours per day developed 47% less myopia than a control group exposed to normal indoor lighting, even though the images were neither more nor less blurry.

They are currently experimenting with light levels and times to see if a short, bright light treatment could be effective. “If we can find the best kind of light, treatment period and light level, we’ll have the scientific justification to begin studies raising light levels in schools, for instance,” says Thomas Norton, Ph.D., who headed up the research team. “Compact fluorescent bulbs use much less electricity than standard light bulbs, and future programs raising light levels will have more impact the less expensive they are.”

Siegwart JT Jr., Ward AH, Norton TT. Moderately elevated fluorescent light levels slow form deprivation and minus lens-induced myopia development in tree shrews. Paper presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, May 8, 2012: Fort Lauderale, Fla.