Light therapy for animals
The image shows the spectrum of colours in visible light from blue through to red that is employed in the veterinary use of light therapy products.
Everyone's heard of some type of light therapy. Its applications are both specialist (think laser eye surgery, removal of tissue in prostatic surgery) and commonplace (think lightboxes for seasonal affective disorder, laser hair removal, and red and blue light for everyday skin care. How can light have such diverse uses? How can LED lights, an everyday household item, also have biological effects? Does light therapy really work?
Light therapy in veterinary practice
Light therapy devices have also found their way into the veterinary sector for the treatment of animals. A wide range of device types is on offer including different classes of laser, low-level laser, LED, red light, blue light, light used with chromophores. Some are promoted for use only in veterinary practice, others for use by pet owners at home.
No regulation of veterinary devices
As with any other therapies, when deciding whether to offer light therapy as a treatment, a vet needs to determine whether it offers benefits to the patient that outweigh any risks. They need to be able to assess claims for devices, know what they are buying and be able to explain the benefits and risks to clients. Pet owners might ask their vet for advice on whether to use devices sold for use at home on pets.
However, unlike for veterinary medicines and medical devices for use in humans, there is no regulation in the UK of veterinary devices, including light therapy products. There is no official body that can guarantee the quality, safety and efficacy of light therapy devices for veterinary use. So vets and pet owners are on their own with evaluating this type of product.
How to evaluate light therapy devices
Like any treatment, it's necessary to know if it offers a benefit, including the type and size of the benefit and how long it lasts; how this compares with the benefit gained from any proven therapies; and whether the treatment causes any harms. It's also helpful to know how convenient is the treatment and the cost.
Why is Veterinary Prescriber looking at light therapy devices?
While veterinary medicines are normally the main focus of Veterinary Prescriber's reviews, we sometimes cover other types of product, including supplements and devices.
The universal standard for evaluating a treatment is the randomised controlled trial (RCT) because this is the most reliable way of ruling out confounding factors and bias. When we evaluate a treatment we look for published RCT evidence. We also critically appraise any RCT evidence to determine how reliable the evidence is. We look for harms, comparisons with standard therapies, highlight uncertainties and look at the practical aspects of a treament. Veterinary Prescriber is independent of industry (we accept no sponsorship or advertising) which means we can be completely objective. We publish our reviews in the form of CPD modules.
We did this when evaluating Phovia (an LED light source plus gel chromophore), a type of light therapy offered for the treatmentof animals in veterinary practice. Log in or subscribe to see our review of Phovia.
Scrutinising promotional claims
Phovia was also the focus of a recent edition of ADVET - what the adverts say and what they're not telling you! Veterinary Prescriber subscribers get a monthly Medicines News roundup. This is includes ADVET, in which we take a close look at the promotional message(s) in an advert, check if the claims are justified, and consider what other information might be needed before making a decision about using the product.
Making sense of light therapy products
After publishing the review of Phovia, it became clear that there was a need for a broader explanatory CPD module about light therapy in general. This is because evaluating light therapy is further complicated by the technical jargon that comes with it: wavelength, coherent light, collated light, electronvolt, chromophore, continuous, pulsed, fluorescence, photobiomodulation, photon and so on.
Understanding what these mean is crucial to making sense of the product range and evaluating promotional claims. Veterinary Prescriber's explanatoary module “Making sense of light therapy devices” is for anyone who needs help understanding what is on offer.
What's in the review Making sense of light therapy devices?
What is light?
How can light be used in medicine?
The key features of light therapy devices (source; mechanism; wavelengths and penetration through skin; use of light with a chemical adjunct) with examples of evidence-based use of light therapy in human medicine.
Examples of light therapy device marketed for veterinary use
How to evaluate light therapy products
Glossary of words and phrases used about light therapy.
This, like all our CPD modules is multimedia - you can listen and/or read and you can test your knowledge with the multi-choice quiz.
Who is it for?
Veterinary Prescriber's modules on light therapy are a much-needed resource for anyone who makes treatment or purchasing decisions in the veterinary practice. They are also for anyone working in practice who uses, or who communicates with clients about, light therapy equipment.