6 tips for determining the light box you need

This is the fifth article in the Bright Light series.

If you’ve searched online for light therapy lamps or light boxes, you’re likely confused by the variety of products. Overwhelming.

In this post I’ll walk you out of the maze with my criteria for selecting a light box. When you’re ready to select a light box, download my free Light Therapy Lamp Guide and compare brands before you even begin shopping.

Tip 1: This Is an Investment in Your Health

First, realize that your light therapy lamp is an investment in your mental, physical and emotional health for six to seven months of the year. It’s a piece of medical equipment, nothing less. Don’t base your decision solely on price. Not all lights are created equal, just like all light is not equal.

If you buy from a reputable manufacturer expect to pay from $129 to $299 for your light. Exhale, and then think this through with me for a minute: If you use your light daily for six months, which you likely could in most regions of the world where the winter blues and seasonal affective disorder reign, your cost would be $1.66US per day the first year for a $299 piece of medical equipment.

Hmm, cheaper than most lattes.

Tip 2: Check for Insurance Coverage

It’s possible your light might be covered by your medical insurance.  You’ll need your receipt, the insurance company’s form and possibly a prescription from your doctor.

Tip 3: Buy From a Reputable Manufacturer

What do I mean by a reputable light manufacturer? I struggle with this a bit, because I originally believed that only those companies that participated in SAD research were reputable. That eliminates a number of companies that didn’t participate in research but manufacture their lights to the 10,000 lux standard.

Tip 4: Look for the 30-60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

How to tell? This is not a hard and fast rule, but companies that offer a 30-60 day money-back guarantee likely manufacture or sell lights that qualify for SAD light therapy.

There are a handful of original light box manufacturers – you can probably count them on one hand. But the industry has been going through a major shift in the last several years. A number of cheaper-priced, more cheaply made products are now available.

You can now buy light boxes retail at lots of stores, instead of being restricted to buying from a medical supply store with a prescription or directly from the manufacturer.

Tip 5: Reputable Manufacturers Tell You Everything About Their Product

I haven’t used the $40 retail blue-light model. What I know is the information I can find online and I’m concerned by what I’m not finding. The manufacturer doesn’t have a website about its light therapy light. (Big alarm.) The specs I can find don’t list anything about the wavelength of the light emitted and don’t say anything about a money-back guarantee. (Three alarms.) Buyer beware.

And I’ve recently updated this tip to say don’t buy a blue-light product. Research indicates blue-light therapy causes long-term retinal damage.

Tip 6: Form Follows Function

Decide how you’ll be using the light in the morning and how much space you have to accommodate a light box during your morning routine. If you have the luxury of more time early in the morning, like to move around and have the space, a larger fluorescent light box may suit you best.

If you plan on doing a hobby or activity that requires bright light shining down from above you, a floor model on a stand may work best. If you’ll be sitting at your desk, dining room table, kitchen counter or using it in the bathroom, one of the smaller LED models may be your best bet. The brightness of many lights is adjustable so you can use them for reading or close work at other times.

If you plan on exercising on a treadmill, elliptical trainer or other machine, you need to measure the distance from your eyes to the place where the light box will sit and determine if it’s in the effective treatment range of the light you are considering.

Remember – the light must get into your eyes for it to be effective. Background light doesn’t qualify as light therapy.

How I Bought My First SAD Light

In 2000 when I determined I had SAD and decided to try light therapy, my local medical supply store told me I needed a prescription. At that time there were about six sources to choose from online.

I measured the distance from where I sit at my dining room table to the other side of the table, and I measured the distance from where I stand on my old Nordic Track ski machine to where the light box would sit. Both measurements were a bit less than 3 feet, so I bought the biggest light box I could find that would be effective to a depth of 36 inches. It cost me $465 plus shipping, a high price for desperation. At first I felt like I was sitting in front of a stadium light but I don’t regret it.

Your Only Risk is the Cost of Shipping

Forgive me, but these two points bear repeating.

You will know within two weeks on average – 4-5 days for some and up to a month for others – if light therapy works. If you are one of the two people out of 10 for which it doesn’t work, you’ll only be out the cost of shipping if you send it back to a reputable manufacturer. A couple of companies may add a restocking charge, but not all.

Check With Your Doctor

If you have an eye disease, or are on medications for bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety or that could make you more photosensitive, consult your doctor before beginning light therapy.

Now that you have a better understanding of how to select a light box, download the free Light Therapy Lamp Guide. This link will take you to a page where you can enter your name and email at the bottom of the page and it will be emailed to you immediately.

Be sure to shoot me an email if you have any questions.

Don’t be intimidated by the choices. You can smile through the winter.

Note: This photos are not representative of what light boxes and light therapy lamps look like.  I think they are cool abstract images of light.

If you enjoyed this article, you may enjoy the rest of the Bright Light series:

• Overview: How light therapy helps seasonal depression
• Article 1 : Cloudy with a chance of depression
• Article 2: Most of us are light deprived
• Article 3: Why you need a daily hit of bright light
• Article 4: Your early morning energy trigger
• Article 5: 6 tips for determining the light box you need
• Article 6: White, Blue, Green? Which light is best?

Ready to go shopping for a light box? Click here to get the free Light Therapy Lamp Guide to help you shop by brand.

Thanks for coming back! Are you receiving my email course "Secrets of Beating the Winter Blues" yet? It's a concise guide to creating your personal take-back-winter plan. Get it here and you'll also be on the advance list for this fall's workbooks and classes.

Tagged as: comparing lightboxes, guarantee, Light Therapy, lightbox manufacturers, phototherapy, SAD, SAD research, winter blues, winter depression