Light Therapy

Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using different types of equipment (such as lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light—by a so-called light box).

The light is administered for a prescribed amount of time and, in some cases, at a specific time of day.

Your GP will refer you or your child to a dermatologist to have light therapy in a hospital. A dermatologist is a doctor who specialises in identifying and treating skin conditions.

Light therapy directed at the skin is used to treat acne vulgaris and neonatal jaundice.

Light therapy which strikes the retina of the eyes is used to treat certain sleep problems and can also be used to treat seasonal affective disorder and other psychiatric disorders.