Side effects of light therapy

Potential side effects of light therapy are rare and most often include jitteriness, a feeling of eyestrain and headache.

Light therapy, like antidepressant medications, occasionally will cause patients to switch into a manic state during which they may have difficulty sleeping, become restless or irritable, and feel "speedy" or too high (Terman & Terman, 1999).

According to Kogan & Guilford (1998) the most common side effects are headaches and eye or vision problems. In their study almost all side effects were mild, transient, and did not interfere with treatment. However they advocate that individuals taking certain medications such as Lithium, tricyclic antidepressants, and neuroleptics and individuals with conditions such as diabetes or retinal degeneration should be monitored by an ophthalmologist.

One of the symptoms of SAD & S-SAD is that the individual may experience period of mania during spring and autumn. They will feel anything is possible and will have a seemingly unlimited amount of energy.It is these individuals who are most prone to mania being a side effect from light therapy and should reduce their exposure time accordingly.

There has been debate on whether there might be long-term retinal effects, associated with light therapy but none have been documented when lights with proper screening of UV wavelengths are used (Lee et al, 1998a).

Some of the most common initial side effects of light therapy subside a few hours after treatment is finished and generally disappear altogether after several exposures. If, after four days, the irritation persists or becomes worse, the individual should sit a little further away from the light box, reducing their exposure.

It should be noted that side effects read more