Benefits of a Full Spectrum Light Box for Seasonal Disorder Therapy

Comparison of some of the most popular 10,000 lux light boxes for seasonal disorder therapy:

Benefits of a Full Spectrum Light Box for Seasonal Disorder Therapy

When using light boxes for the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder, winter depression, or simply the rainy day blues, full spectrum light is not only critical, it is much more effective and safer. Vision is made possible by light reflecting off of objects and striking the eye’s retina. The brighter the light, the more we can see up to a point. Bright light also brings about the unwanted side effects of glare, loss of color contrast, eye fatigue and in some cases headaches. By using a quality full spectrum light box product you can greatly reduce these unwanted problems that occur with poorly equipped light therapy. Depression treatment through medication can result in unpleasant side effects, but so can inadequate seasonal disorder therapy products.

Daytime vision is made effective by the use of wider “cones” in the eyes, but the pupil’s response to light and pupil size is controlled by the much more plentiful “rods” of the retina. This is known as the “scotopic response” and is highly sensitive to blueish white light. When using antiquated cool-white or standard fluorescent bulbs this range of the spectrum is almost non-existent resulting in a very poor scotopic response. Pupil diameter remains larger than it should be for the amount of light being received resulting in glare, eye fatigue and discomfort for the user. Through the use of quality full spectrum light boxes, containing the proper amount of wavelengths throughout the spectrum, this scotopic response of the eye can be properly balanced with the amount of light being produced. Pupil size is greatly reduced, just like you were outdoors, and the glare, contrast, and eye fatigue problems decrease.

Our Light Therapy Products

The SAD lights we use do not produce “Ultra Violet Rays” in any wavelength and are completely safe for regular use. Full spectrum light sources that produce UV rays can be dangerous to your eyesight long term. This hazard, known as the “bluelight hazard” is well documented by specialists in the vision field. As high frequency light, such as UV, strikes the light sensitive cones in the retina a chemical reaction occurs causing the cell to “bleach” temporarily and then quickly recover. If a continuous flow of UV enters the retina and strikes these same “bleached” cells before they have had a chance to recover and rebuild the necessary chemicals, cell damage can occur and compound over time resulting in long term vision loss and problems such as cataracts. This same type of problem has also been noted for monochromatic blue LED light sources. Through the use of a full spectrum light box that contains a balanced spectrum of wavelengths without the UV, the bluelight hazard is minimized because different wavelengths of light are striking the photosensitive cells of the retina at any given time allowing the “bleached” cells the proper environment to recover.

Many companies that make light boxes and light therapy products know very little about lighting and make claims that are not consistent with their own statements. If the company that you are looking at states that the bulbs they use can be purchased through normal electrical supply or lighting supply houses, their bulbs are not full spectrum. A lot of companies talk about Kelvin temp but will not state the CRI because they use poor quality lamps in their lighting products. Ask for the specs in writing. If the lighting device does not use a light source of 90 CRI or higher and a Kelvin temp of 5,000 to 6,000, it is not full spectrum.

When we suffer from seasonal affective disorder, we are missing the exposure to the natural sunlight spectrum that we enjoy with the longer days of summer time. The closest thing to natural sunlight is quality full spectrum lighting. Countless schools, businesses and homes have used full spectrum light boxes to help with many problems associated with the lack of sunlight we experience in the winter.