What is Syntonics?
Syntonic Phototherapy or Optometric Phototherapy is a form of therapy using coloured light. Using light as a healing tool may sound unusual but it is more common than one would expect. Doctors use blue light therapy to treat jaundice in newborns, white light to treat symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder and dentists use UV light to bond teeth. As Neuro-Optometrists, we use coloured light frequencies to treat visual dysfunctions.
Syntonic Phototherapy has been studied for over a century, and it is an effective therapy for visual and visually related conditions such as headaches, eyestrain, reading problems, visual processing difficulties, attention difficulties, amblyopia and strabismus. It is also used to treat the visual consequences of stress and trauma, including traumatic brain injury. Syntonic Phototherapy can be used very effectively in conjunction with other rehabilitation treatments such as traditional vision therapy.
How does it work?
“Syntony” means balance and refers to the balance of the nervous system. Syntonics works on the autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system consists of two parts, the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest & digest).
The retina (the back part of the eye where light is captured) is made of nerve tissue, that is why Syntonic Phototherapy, (presenting specific wavelengths of light through the visual system), is so effective in making improvements and changes to the brain.
Coloured light therapy, through the eyes, can stimulate the biochemistry of the brain. The result is improved balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Syntonics and Visual Processing
Children with learning difficulties and adults with visual stress often have reduced perceptual visual fields. This affects the volume of information they can process.
A reduced perceptual field affects all aspects of daily living including academic achievement, work proficiency and athletic performance. Symptoms of limited perceptual field include loss of place while reading, skipping of lines or words, words moving on the page and reduced comprehension. Limited peripheral awareness may lead to difficulties with balance, co-ordination, driving and sports performance.
Evaluation & Therapy
Syntonic Phototherapy evaluation begins with an assessment of symptoms, eye tracking ability, binocular eye co-ordination, visual motor performance, pupillary reaction to light and peripheral vision sensitivity. The perceptual visual field is tested for size, perception of motion and response to colour.
Your Optometrist will prescribe an individual treatment plan. The colour filters chosen depend on the individual’s symptoms.
Eyetek Optometrists provides patients with a light unit that is rented to patients for the duration of the treatment. Syntonic phototherapy is done in a darkened room, in the comfort of your own home. The most common treatment protocol is 20 minutes of coloured light therapy completed 5 times a week for a total of 20 sessions. Specific light colours or frequencies may be modified during treatment. Throughout the therapy process we monitor pupil reaction, functional visual fields and binocularity. Once the balance of the two systems is restored, the results are usually long lasting.
Syntonics Research
Current research shows that Syntonic Phototherapy results in significant improvements in visual skills, memory, mood, peripheral awareness and academic performance. Not every person will respond in the same way to treatment or at the same pace. However, most patients are surprised by how effective the treatment is. Syntonic Phototherapy is most effective when combined with other therapies such as vision therapy and other optometric interventions.