Does Red Light Therapy Help or Damage Your Eyes? Here’s The Experts Take

Red Light Therapy for Eye Health

When used directly on the face for whole-body treatment or hair health, red light therapy devices like facial masks, wands, panels, lamp beds, caps, and helmets expose the user’s eyes to the light.

Is Red Light Therapy Safe for Eyes?

Red light therapy is generally rated safe for the eyes when properly used for skin health, pain management, and hair growth. Regardless, experts advise users to take precautions by wearing eye protection devices like goggles, designated eyeglasses, or eye pads.

On the other hand,research on red light therapy used directly on the eyes to treat eye conditions is not conclusive.

Let’s explain that with some of the most recent studies recording both positive and contradicting outcomes of red light therapy eyes treatment.

• Red light therapy improves color contrast sensitivity in older adults.

The function of the cones and rods at the back of the eye (retina and photoreceptors) that detect color and light decline with age. That’s especially true after age 40.

Red light therapy has been shown to improve the performance of the cones, rods, and photoreceptors in older adults 40 and above years old.

In a 2020 study with 24 participants aged 28-72, participants 40 years and above showed significant improvement in rod and cone performance and color contrast sensitivity.

RLT devices with a 670nm wavelength were used every morning for 3 minutes for a period of 2 weeks. No significant change was recorded in participants younger than 40.

• Red light therapy improves symptoms of dry eye disease

People with dry eye disease have tears that don’t adequately lubricate their eyes, causing symptoms like discomfort, redness, and a feeling of a foreign body in the eye.

A 2017 study on the effect of red light therapy on people with dry eye disease caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) reported a significant improvement in most of the 52 participants’ eyes.

Using the Quantum red light therapy device over the eyes for 3 minutes, once daily, and at least twice a week increased tear break-up time. It also showed improvement for other dry eye symptoms like burning and gritty eye sensations. All that in 3 months.

A second study in 2022 also reported improved tear break-up time and overall reduction of dry eye symptoms. This improvement manifested in the trial group of 20 patients, compared to no improvement in a similar-sized control group. A red light therapy device with a ≈ 60 J/cm2 dosage was used twice a week for 3 weeks.

• Research on red light therapy for Myopia Treatment in Children is inconclusive

Myopia is also known as short-sightedness. It inhibits the vision of objects that are far away. RLT has been used to treat myopia but presents varying outcomes in children and adolescents.

Two studies conducted in 2024 both showed positive outcomes or RLT for children and adolescents with myopia.

The first study, with 108 participants aged 6-14, showed that refraction was less myopic in the trial group of 55 children. This happened after 3 minutes of red light therapy coupled with single-focus spectacles conducted twice daily 5 days a week, at a 4-hour interval.

The use of RLT was considered safe for 12 months. However, an undesired increase in reflectance of the ellipsoid zone and photoreceptor outer segment was also recorded.

The second study had 192 participants aged 6-16 years, distributed evenly in the trial and control groups. 53.3% of the participants were less myopic after 3-minute sessions of red light therapy coupled with single-focus spectacles twice daily for 7 days, at a 4-hour interval.

Despite the positive outcomes of these two studies, a similar study in the same year by eye health experts at the University of Houston reported contradictory outcomes.

After 3 minutes of RLT, it was concluded that eye exposure to the light exceeded the maximum permissible exposure, with a risk of damage to the retina.

The results prompt the recommendation that caution be exercised in RLT for myopia treatment in children until the necessary safety measures are established.

But this is not the only red light therapy study with a warning for eye risk. The following section has more of them.

• Red light therapy can cause unintended eye discomfort and vision problems

While several studies have shown promising outcomes for red light therapy eyes treatment, others suggest it could cause unwanted vision problems and eye discomfort.

A 2017 extensive systematic review of 161 articles on eye safety in red light therapy reported issues of eye discomfort and vision problems in about 45% of the participants.

Nonetheless, the studies did not report any damage to the eyes except in a single case that presented with maculopathy after the therapy, likely associated with an antidepressant the patient was on.

Overall, the review suggests that red light therapy is safe for the eyes when users are physically healthy. However, its effect on users with preexisting health problems should be studied further.

So, what’s the Verdict?

The Verdict: Does Red Light Therapy Help or Damage the Eyes?

The verdict on whether red light therapy helps or damages the eyes has two perspectives:

• When used for skin care, hair regrowth, or pain management, red light therapy is safe for the eyes, as long as it is used correctly and eye protection devices like goggles are worn.
• When directly used to treat eye conditions, the safety of red light therapy shows both positive and contradicting outcomes for different eye conditions. That goes to say it is currently inconclusive; experts don’t have a clear-cut answer on whether red light therapy is helpful or damaging for the eyes.

Red Light Therapy Eye Protection: Key Safety Precautions

• Always work with an eye specialist before using red light therapy for eye treatment. This goes for every user, especially those who purchase RLT devices online.
• Prefer the red light therapy face masks that sit flush on the skin over devices that point directly into your eyes. When using the latter, always protect your eyes with goggles or recommended eyeglasses.
• Ensure any RLT device you purchase for eye treatment is of the highest quality. Talking to an eye specialist and ensuring the device is FDA-approved are ways of ensuring that.
• Thoroughly study the instructions of use before using an RLT device for your eyes. Follow the instructions faithfully.

The Final Word!

While red light therapy has shown promising outcomes for eye health, experts say research is inconclusive.

Therefore, both specialists and self-treating users should tread with caution when using RLT for eye treatment until more research has been done to confirm the following:

• If red light therapy truly improves eye health.
• How red light therapy should be used for eye health, especially regarding factors like the appropriate wavelength, safe red light dosage, recommended frequency of use, and the best RLT delivery methods or devices.
• If factors like age and preexisting health conditions define how red light therapy works on the eyes.

Until that is achieved, always check with a specialist before using red light therapy for eye health.

Sources

1. GLIMPSE: Red Light Therapy
2. Block Blue Light: Is Red Light Therapy Damaging To Eyes?
3. All About Vision: Red light therapy: Damaging or helpful for eyes?
4. The+Source: Are Red Light Therapy Devices Safe for The Eyes?
5. Toyos, R. (2017). The effects of a red light technology on dry eye due to meibomian gland dysfunction. Invest. Ophthalmol.
6. Park Y, Kim H, Kim S, Cho KJ. (2022). Effect of low-level light therapy in patients with dry eye: a prospective, randomized, observer-masked trial.
7. Shinhmar, H. et al. (2020). Optically Improved Mitochondrial Function Redeems Aged Human Visual Decline.
8. Zhu, M. et al. (2024). Safety of repeated low-level red-light therapy for children with myopia.
9. Xu, Yan et al. (2024). Repeated Low-Level Red Light Therapy for Myopia Control in High Myopia Children and Adolescents.
10. Ostrin LA, Schill AW. (2024). Red light instruments for myopia exceed safety limits.