Restoring Visual Function and Balance with Syntonic Phototherapy
Using light as a healing tool may sound unusual, but it’s quite common. For example, physicians use blue light therapy to treat infants with jaundice and white light to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Dentists use light therapy to bond teeth. Similarly, optometrists use syntonic phototherapy to treat visual dysfunctions.
What Is Syntonic Phototherapy?
Syntonic phototherapy, also known as Optometric Phototherapy, uses specific frequencies and wavelengths of light to restore balance in the body’s regulatory centers. This therapy has treated conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (eye turn), and focusing/convergence problems for over 80 years.
Syntonics aims to balance the autonomic nervous system, which controls our pupils and visual field, affecting light sensitivity, attention, processing, and overall visual function.
This unique therapy benefits more than vision and can help with learning disorders, chronic headaches, and reducing the effects of brain injuries, stress, trauma, and concussion. When directed under the guidance of a neuro-optometrist, syntonic phototherapy can positively affect the body and visual system.
How Is the Balance of the Nervous System Restored?
“Syntony” means balance, referring to the balance of an integrated nervous system. The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) systems. When used in syntonic phototherapy, the colored light stimulates the visual system and results in a change in the brain’s biochemistry. The color used depends on the specific condition of the patient.
For example, red light stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, while blue light stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.
Assessments include symptoms, eye tracking ability, binocular eye coordination, visual motor performance, pupillary reaction to light, and peripheral vision sensitivity to monitor changes and treatment progress. Once the balance of the two systems is restored, the results are usually long-lasting.
What Can Syntonic Phototherapy Treat?
Syntonic phototherapy is effective in treating various visual and visually-related conditions, including:
Visual Conditions:
- Blurred or unstable vision
- Eyestrain or fatigue
- Strabismus (eye turn)
- Amblyopia (lazy eye)
- Double vision
- Poor depth perception
- Reduced peripheral vision
- Light sensitivity or glare
Visually Related Conditions:
- Headaches
- Short attention span
- Reduced concentration
- Poor memory
- Reading problems
- Impaired driving ability
- Poor coordination or balance
- Reduced academic achievement
- Uneven work performance
- Inconsistent athletic accomplishment
History of Stress or Trauma:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Mental or emotional trauma
- Chronic illness
Syntonic Color Filters: Meaning & Purpose
Different colored filters are used to treat various conditions:
Blue/Green Filters: Reduce swelling, redness, and fluid; decrease pain; help with headaches, pain hypersensitivity, eye teaming, focusing, and eye movements.
Yellow/Green Filters: Support treatment of chronic health problems; detoxify and stabilize the nervous system; help with fatigue, eye strain, headaches, light sensitivity, eye teaming, focusing, and eye/hand/body movements.
Red/Orange Filters: Help with “lazy eye syndrome”; stimulate a sympathetic response; help with muscle tightness, jaw tension, eyesight, eye turning in, and suppression of one eye.
What Are The Benefits of Syntonic Phototherapy?
Syntonic phototherapy, when used with vision therapy, eyeglasses, or optical aids, has shown to achieve the following results:
- Improved visual acuity and contrast
- Enhanced visual attention
- Increased energy
- Better quality of sleep and digestion
- Increased relaxation
- Reduced eye strain
- Decreased light/allergic sensitivity
- Improved diet and appetite
- Reduced cravings for sugar, caffeine, and smoking
- Improved reproductive functions
- Some weight loss, despite a greater yet more appropriate appetite
Treatment elicits different responses in every patient, but most are surprised at the gains acquired. If you are interested in hearing more about syntonic phototherapy or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call and schedule a consultation.
Our practice serves patients from Connecticut, with offices in Trumbull, Stamford, Southport, and Norwalk, as well as in New York, serving Mahopac, Mt. Kisco, and surrounding communities.
Our practice serves patients from Connecticut, with offices in Trumbull, Stamford, Southport, and Norwalk, as well as in New York, serving Mahopac, Mt. Kisco and surrounding communities.
