Why Day-Lights are Better

Product Comparison Chart:

There are numerous light therapy products on the market and the chart below compares some of the most popular light therapy lamps based on the Industry Standards as established by the Center for Environmental Therapeutics (www.cet.org).

Product Name	10,000 Lux @ 11" or more	Adequate Field of Illumination	Balanced White Light	UV Filter/ Suppression	Projects Light Downward	Glare-free Diffusion	Comfortable Color	High Efficiency Ballast
Day-Lights
Litebook	No	No			No	No	No	n/a
goLITE	No	No	No		No	No	No	n/a
PER3	No	No				No	No	n/a
Brite Lite IV					No		No
SunBox DL		No			No
SADelite						No
TRAVElite		No			No
BOXelite					No

Feature Guide

10,000 LUX – This is the currently accepted “gold standard” for light therapy products. LUX is the measurement of the illumination at a specific distance from the light source. To be effective, the 10,000 LUX must be provided at a comfortable distance from the light so the user may perform other activities during therapy sessions.

Adequate Field of Illumination – During light therapy sessions, the eyes must be within the 10,000 LUX field of illumination. Moving out of this range can lead to ineffective results and compromised therapy. Smaller products often simply cannot provide a reasonable field of illumination or require the user to be too near the light making sessions uncomfortable.

Balanced White Light – Extensive research has been done using light therapy systems that emit balanced white light rather than colored light. Evidence suggests that some “colors” of light may be either ineffective or possibly damaging to the eye.

UV Filter/Suppression – Many lighting sources generate UV and for light therapy devices this must be suppressed or filtered to a safe level for the eyes and skin of the user.

Projects Light Downward – When exposed to sunlight the position is from above and some research has indicated that the receptors that affect the body’s daily rhythm are located in lower area in the back of the eye. Mimicking the location of the sun helps to ensure that therapy is effective.

Glare-free Diffusion Screen – While users do not stare directly at the light during light therapy sessions, the quality of the light can make light therapy sessions more comfortable. Harsh or direct light from bulbs can be a distraction and make therapy unpleasant.

Comfortable color – Color in this instance refers to the color temperature of the light emitted and this is measured in Kelvin (K). For light therapy products, 4000-5000 K is the recommended range.

High Efficiency Ballasts – For light therapy systems that use fluorescent light tubes, the ballast controls the flow of electricity to the light tubes. The high efficiency ballast does this at approximately 20,000 cycles per second versus inferior magnetic ballasts that operate at 60 cycles per second. Light therapy systems that use high efficiency ballasts do not flicker which can reduce eye strain and discomfort.