Specialty Fluorescent Lamps Designed for Light Therapy

Phototherapy, also known as light therapy, is the term used to describe light treatment procedures.  Specialty fluorescent lamps along with LED and dichroic lamps are used to treat a wide range of medical conditions such as jaundice, mood disorders, sleep disorders, skin disorders (psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, wrinkles, and acne), wound healing and photodynamic therapy (PDT).  A phototherapy session involves exposing the affected area to specific wavelengths of light. 

One mood related disorder that is treated with light therapy is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition that causes mild depression due to the lack of natural light.  Research shows that natural sunlight triggers the pineal gland in our brains to produce serotonin, a mood-elevating hormone. The treatment for SAD is to artificially replace sunlight with full spectrum light therapy that imitates the color and intensity of the sun at noon.  Most individuals see an improvement in their mood in as short as a week.     

Another common use of phototherapy is to treat neonatal jaundice.  The condition is caused by immature liver functions in newborns and results in a yellowing of the skin, and in some cases, yellowing of the whites of the eyes.  When medical intervention is called for, newborns are placed under special blue lights to prevent the condition from worsening.   In extreme cases, neonatal jaundice left untreated can cause brain damage.  

Conditions such as sleep disorders, jet lag, and shift work disorders have also responded well to light therapy treatment.  Bright light therapy is used to advance or delay sleep, depending on how the circadian rhythm is shifted.   

For more than 80 years, many skin related disorders have been treated with broadband phototherapy such as psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and acne vulgaris.  Please see our website to learn more about the ways LightSources and LightTech’s specialty fluorescent lamps and LED and dichroic lamps are being used.  

LightSources and our affiliated companies represent the leading high-tech designers and manufacturers in the lamp industry today.  Our products are used world-wide in a multitude of applications and industries such as our avionic display backlighting that is part of the National Defense and US Space Program.  Please contact us to learn more about our extensive selection of lamps.