Light Therapy for the Eyes

According to the College of Synoptic Optometry, a clinically proven form of light therapy, called synoptic phototherapy, returns the eye to the right vision balance. After extended treatment, vision deficiencies improve and normal vision returns. An optometrist can successfully see the eye change until it's normal by choosing the right light colors and exposure for the diagnosed eye condition. The therapy works because light stimulates the right retinal activity for recovery.

Shining Light on the Retina

• The optometrist treats the retinal system in the back of the eye that receives light wavelengths. During treatment, the patient sees the color created by the frequency wavelength. Lights shone into the eye penetrate the retina into the blood network behind the retina that supports vision activity. Different physical receptors receive each color.

Using the Right Wavelength

• The eye accommodates in response to each wavelength shone into the eye. An optometrist chooses the colors shown to effectively heal a condition. Each color causes a unique response. The optometrist uses a blue/ green therapy to treat the vision deficiencies caused by injury, infection or trauma, such as a contracted visual field or blurred vision. The patient looks through the synoptic lens at a colored light circle about 2 inches in diameter on a wall 20 inches away. Looking at the blue/green light reduces inflammation in the retina and cortical area; redness and fluid decrease. For a chronic condition caused by under activity in the eye, yellow/green light stabilizes the eye physiology. A lazy eye becomes stronger when a red/orange light raises the nerve charge.

Repeated Exposure

• Over the full course of therapy, the eye's system learns to accommodate to the light stimulation. The responses strengthen and grow more apt in the muscles, retina and blood circulation. The optometrist treats a patient with light for 20 minutes on at least three consecutive days for 18 to 20 weeks. After about seven weeks, an eye examination using colored lights enables the optometrist to assess if the eye is accommodating appropriately, or if the patient needs additional light therapy. He might choose a different color combination, such as indigo/red to improve recovery.

Following Up

• Optometrists confirm full recovery by following up with the patient after three to six months. Testing the eye proves whether the visual skills have returned to normal or if a contracted visual field expanded to the full extent. If the patient has not fully recovered, the doctor might recommend more therapy to ensure success.

Combining With Traditional Therapy

• Producing a full recovery might require that an optometrist add light therapy to prescriptions for corrective lenses and other standard treatment by an optometrist. This full-therapy approach causes a full visual adjustment and exercises all the ocular muscles needed to see correctly. A more active eye aids the improvement eye-alignment patients experience while wearing glasses or contact lenses and undergoing focus and alignment exercises under the optometrist's direction.