In today’s digital world, kids are spending less time outdoors and more time in front of screens. This alarming trend is causing concern for parents and health professionals across the globe. In the United States, the average child between the ages of 8 and 12 spends 4-6 hours every day watching television, playing video games, or viewing another mobile device. An alarming series of studies have begun connecting the blue light emitted from these digital screens with a number of conditions and other health problems. Increased exposure to extreme levels of blue light are associated with nearsightedness, attention focus problems, obesity, macular degeneration, phototoxicity, and even disturbances in the sleep cycle due to a disrupted circadian rhythm.
The biggest challenge is that adult eyes are more effective at filtering blue light than a child. This leaves children particularly susceptible to these conditions. While reducing screen time is a great first step, it’s impossible to avoid this altogether. For this reason, an emerging therapeutic approach known as Red Light Therapy (or RLT) is becoming the go-to option for parent’s looking to protect their child's health and eyesight.
How Does Red Light Therapy (RLT) Work?
In the visible light spectrum, each color has its own wavelength and energy level. On one end of the spectrum, blue light travels in short wavelengths with higher levels of energy. Blue light, much like the ultraviolet rays from the sun, have the power to penetrate deep into the back of the retina causing serious damage and an increased risk of eye diseases. Red light, on the other hand, travels in much longer wavelengths and produces a lower level of energy. This enables red light to counteract many of the negative effects of blue and ultraviolet light.
Red Light Therapy provides a non-invasive, pain-free therapy that can be administered in the comfort of your home with a special device (like those provided by Recover Red). The therapy works by using a specific light spectrum to stimulate cellular structures in the body, similar to how sunlights activates photosynthesis in plants. The primary function is to target the activation of mitochondria within cells to boost cellular function and overall health.
RLT has been proven to effectively treat a number of skin and health conditions including treating wrinkles, redness, acne, scars, and signs of aging. For this reason, many people often associate RLT with elderly people. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Red Light Therapy provides numerous other benefits for people of all ages, including children. Because RLT helps promote increased cellular energy production, it can also aid in healing and reducing inflammation, boosting collagen production, improving cardiovascular health, enhanced muscle recovery, higher bone density, and better mental well-being.
Benefits of Leveraging RLT with Your Child
One of the most prominent benefits of RLT is its effectiveness in helping to maintain ocular health and protecting vision. In an era where children spend a significant amount of time in front of screens, RLT is an effective strategy to minimize and reverse the negative effects of excessive blue light exposure.
In addition, children are constantly using their energy stores which can lead to fatigue and frequent illness. Because of the way children’s bodies metabolize light into cellular energy (specifically adenosine triphosphate or ATP), RLT is a great way to restore their energy levels without exposing them to harmful UV light. This is especially critical since children are spending less time outdoors and don’t get as much sun exposure.
Is Red Light Therapy Safe for Kids?
Yes! Red Light Therapy is an extremely effective and safe way to counterbalance the negative effects of blue light on your child’s skin, eyes, and brain health. Simply allowing your child to spend 10 minutes under a red light could potentially make a huge difference in their overall health and well being.
