Phototherapy
Phototherapy or light therapy is defined as the use of exposure to light to treat health conditions. This is utilized in various fields including neurosciences, dermatology, dentistry, psychology, and optometry to treat depression, brain injuries, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The type of light used varies from visible, infrared to ultraviolet radiation. Certain light frequencies have been shown to affect mood, behavior, and physiological functions.
Syntonics
The noninvasive syntonic optometric phototherapy works to balance the visual system and the general balance of the organism through the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system. In other words, it works to balance the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. The light that reaches the retina alters the physiology of the hypothalamus, thalamus, and pituitary gland. This treatment alone may not be able to treat all conditions so it is usually combined with vision therapy, glasses, or optical aids.
Red and orange are lower energy colors and improve fusion, binocularity, and emotional fatigue by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. Blue or violet are higher energy and reduce anxiety and stress by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Green and yellow are in the middle and these are physiological stabilizers and detoxifiers for chronic or degenerative health issues. Blue-green filters reduce cortical or retinal swelling, pain, and inflammation.
80% of learning is through vision so when the eyes do not work as a team, it can affect reading and learning. Studies have shown that short-term treatment can improve visual skills, peripheral vision, accommodation/convergence, eye strain, visual attention deficit, memory, behavior, mood, general performance, and academic achievement. It can also cause changes to the metrics of brain activity in strabismic (eye turn) and amblyopic (lazy eye) patients. It can alter the functional connectivity of a broad range of visual and non-visual brain regions. When intermittent photopic stimulation is used to treat strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia patients, a visual acuity improvement of one line was observed in patients between the ages of 10 and 57. Patients with anisometropic amblyopia showed greater improvement compared to those with strabismic amblyopia. Many children with learning disabilities have a reduced sensitivity of their peripheral vision. An improvement in peripheral vision and visual skills can be seen during and after phototherapy. Visual field constrictions as a result of visual stress, brain injury, degenerative ocular disorders, and emotional trauma can also be improved. Overall, patients with head trauma or headaches seem to benefit the most from Syntonics.
References
Cervera-Sánchez Z, Cacho-Martínez P, García-Muñoz Á. Efficacy of optometric phototherapy: a systematic review. J Optom. 2023;16(4):305-314. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2023.03.002
Gloria Yum
Student Extern
Chicago College of Optometry | Class of 2024
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