When you think about treating vision problems, you probably picture glasses, contacts, or maybe vision therapy exercises. But interestingly, light itself can be used to help the eyes and brain work better together. That’s what happens with optometric phototherapy, a unique treatment that uses specific colors of light to improve how your eyes and brain communicate.
What Is Optometric Phototherapy?
Optometric phototherapy, often called syntonic phototherapy, is a form of light therapy that is used to treat visual dysfunctions. Treatment involves using specific light colors and wavelengths, with each having a different effect on the visual system. This treatment isn’t about seeing “better” in the traditional sense, but rather it’s about helping your vision work better. Your visual system is connected to parts of the brain that control focus, coordination, and attention, and this simple light exposure can make a real difference in how your vision feels and functions on a daily basis.
How It Helps Binocular Vision Problems
Binocular vision refers to your two eyes teaming up to create one clear image. When they’re not working together properly, it can cause symptoms like:
- Eyestrain or headaches, especially after reading or screen time
- Double vision or blurry sight
- Trouble with depth perception
- Feeling tired or unfocused after visual tasks
Optometric phototherapy can help improve these issues by calming and rebalancing the visual system. This makes it easier for your eyes to work together and stay aligned. Many patients find that reading becomes more comfortable, focusing is easier, and visual fatigue goes away faster.
What a Typical Treatment Looks Like
Optometric phototherapy is simple, non-invasive and takes place right in our office. During a session, you simply look into the light for a few minutes while wearing special filters or lenses. We select the light colors based on your specific testing results and vision goals. Treatments are short, usually just a few minutes several times a week, and may be also combined with other types of vision therapy. We always complete a thorough evaluation first, in order to customize the best treatment program for your specific needs.
Light’s Power to Rebalance Vision
It might sound surprising that colors of light can affect how we see and feel, but decades of research support this idea. Vision involves not just the eyes but the entire brain. By using the right colors, our specially-trained optometrists can help retrain your visual system to work more efficiently and comfortably. In many cases, patients who have struggled with binocular vision issues find that optometric phototherapy helps promote faster progress, especially when combined with other traditional vision therapy techniques.
Family Vision Development Center Specializes in Optometric Phototherapy
The Family Vision Development Center team has extensive experience in many vision therapy methods, including optometric phototherapy. Dr. Alia Santoyo-Johnson is a Board-Certified Fellow in Light Therapy by the College of Syntonic Optometry, meaning you have a trusted, knowledgeable optometrist in your area to treat your vision with effective, cutting-edge techniques. Contact our office at 630-862-2020 to learn more about light therapy or to schedule an appointment for an evaluation.
Family Vision Development Center is a full-service vision center offering innovative vision therapy services, sports vision therapy services, post-concussive vision rehabilitation, comprehensive vision exams for eyeglasses and contact lenses, management of ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts, and a state-of-the-art optical center offering the latest designs in eyewear. We are dedicated to keeping our patients comfortable and well-informed and we will explain every exam and procedure and answer all of your questions. We accept both scheduled and emergency appointments, and offer convenient financing and insurance options to ensure that high-quality vision care is available and affordable to all of our patients.