Syntonics, or Optometric Phototherapy, is the gentle and safe application of selected visible-light frequencies through the eyes. It has been used clinically for over 70 years as an alternative to traditional eye care in treating conditions like strabismus, amblyopia, reduced peripheral vision, poor visual skills, depth perception, learning disorders, and brain injury.
When light enters the eyes it does not only serve vision. Some retinal nerves connect the retina directly to non-visual brain centers such as the hypothalamus and pineal gland. These centers influence electrical, chemical, and hormonal balances, which affect all body functions including vision.
Often times following a brain injury the autonomic nervous system will remain out of balance and the sympathetic system is over stimulated. This causes your body to feel like it is in a “fight or flight” mode often throughout the day. By applying certain frequencies of light by way of the eyes, balance can be restored in the regulatory centers of the body’s nervous system. This balance is known as syntony.
In addition to improving the efficiency, speed, and success rate of vision therapy, light therapy can be used alone to address the following symptoms that may not be treatable with standard procedures:
- Double vision
- Eye Strain or Fatigue
- Reduced peripheral or side vision
- Light sensitivity
- Headaches
- Poor attention span or concentration
- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep
- Feelings of anxiety in crowded places
- Night vision problems
- Reduced understanding of what you are reading
- Problems with near work
- Impaired coordination and balance
Patient's have their functional visual fields measured prior to treatment and then repeated to monitor the expansion of the fields throughout treatment.
For additional information visit the College of Syntonic Optometry website.