Why the Day-Light is Better

Industry Standards:

The Center for Environmental Therapeutics (CET) has set standards for light box design that consumers, doctors and insurance companies should keep in mind. We used these guidelines when we designed the Day-Light. We strongly recommend you use them as a check list when selecting a light therapy product.

CET Standards for Light Box Design

Only light boxes should be used for bright light therapy. Visors have not yet been shown effective in placebo-controlled studies.
The light box should provide 10,000 lux of illumination at a comfortable sitting distance (with the eyes 12 inches or more from the center of the screen).
The lamps should give off white light rather than colored light. (Extended exposure to blue light may be harmful to the eyes, and red light is not effective for light therapy.)
Fluorescent lamps should have a filter that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV rays are harmful to the eyes and skin.
The light source should be covered with a smooth diffusing screen that evens the delivery of light. Bare bulbs and sharp points of light (including LED displays) can produce intolerable glare, forcing your gaze out of the therapeutic field.
Color temperature of lamps should be in the 3000-5000 Kelvin range for comfortable usage. As the color temperature increases, so does the amount of glare and blue light.
Light boxes should be equipped with high-efficiency ballasts that operate at 20,000 cycles per second in order to avoid flicker that can cause headaches. (Inferior magnetic ballasts operate at only 60 cycles per second.)
The light should be projected downward toward the eyes at an angle to minimize aversive visual glare.
The screen area should be at least 190 square inches (for example 12 inches high by 16 inches long) to provide a satisfactory field of illumination. (When using a compact light box, even small head movements will take the eyes out of the therapeutic range of light.)