Do You Need Goggles for Red Light Therapy? Eyes Open or Closed

With a red light panel, yes: wear goggles every time, from before the light comes on until the timer stops. A panel puts out strong red and near-infrared light, the near-infrared is invisible so your eyes get no warning from it, and closed eyelids let a meaningful share of red light through. With a face mask that has an eye opening and no LEDs over the eyes, separate goggles are not needed, and you can keep your eyes open or closed as you prefer. Sunglasses are not a substitute, and tanning goggles only do the job if they are opaque. The American Academy of Dermatology's advice is the simplest: use the eye protection the device's directions recommend. Here is why, what the different kinds of eyewear block, and what to do about the skin under the goggles.

Do you need goggles for red light therapy?

For a panel, yes. For a mask with an eye opening, no.

The American Academy of Dermatology tells people using red light at home to "wear eye protection if the directions tell you to, using the eye protection that's recommended". AAD. The Cleveland Clinic says to shield your eyes and follow all directions. Cleveland Clinic.

Why do panels need eye protection?

Because of near-infrared. It is invisible, so there is no glare to make you blink or look away, yet it still reaches the lens and the retina.

Bright visible light protects you from itself: you squint and turn your head. Lamp safety standards rely on that reflex for visible light. Near-infrared gives no such signal, so a panel can look dim while most of its output is light you cannot see. International guidelines set the limit for infrared reaching an unprotected eye at 100 W/m² for exposures of about 17 minutes or longer, to avoid heat injury to the cornea and possible delayed effects on the lens. ICNIRP. A panel placed six inches from the skin delivers far more than that to the skin, which is the point of it. That is the reason goggles come in the box. Is red light therapy safe for your eyes goes through blue, red and near-infrared in turn.

Red light therapy: eyes open or closed?

Closed eyes are not enough on their own in front of a panel. Eyelids block almost all blue light but let through roughly 6 to 9% of red.

Those figures come from two studies of eyelid transmission, one of which measured 27 people directly and found a tenfold spread between individuals. Ando and Kripke 1996, Bierman 2011. The eyelid works as a red-pass filter. A few percent of a strong panel is still a lot of light, and we found no published measurement of how much near-infrared gets through. So with a panel: goggles on, and then it makes no difference whether your eyes are open or closed behind them. With a mask that has no LEDs over the eyes, open or closed is your choice.

What kind of goggles do you need for red light therapy?

The pair supplied with your device, first. If you need a replacement, choose eyewear that is opaque or that states the wavelengths it blocks.

Optical density is the rating printed on safety glasses: each step is a tenfold cut, so a rating of 2 lets through 1% and a rating of 3 lets through 0.1%, at the wavelengths listed and only those. OSHA. A pair rated for 630 to 660 nm tells you nothing about 850 nm.

Can you use tanning goggles for red light therapy?

Only if they are fully opaque. Tanning goggles are certified for ultraviolet, and the rule they are made to says nothing about red or near-infrared.

The US regulation for sunbed eyewear limits how much ultraviolet may pass, to 0.1% and 1% across the two UV bands. Above 400 nm, in visible light, it requires the opposite: enough must get through for the user "to see clearly enough to reset the timer". 21 CFR 1040.20. So the UV rating on the packet tells you nothing about a 660 or 850 nm panel. Small solid cups that let no light through will work. Tinted ones you can see through were not designed for this. The test is simple: if you can see a bright lamp through them, they are not blackout.

Can you wear sunglasses instead?

No. The AAD says it in six words: "Don't substitute sunglasses for protective goggles."

Sunglasses are rated for ultraviolet and for visible glare. A dark lens tells you nothing about near-infrared, and the open sides let light in around it.

What about the skin under the goggles?

It gets little or no light. That is the trade-off of treating the face with a panel.

Goggle cups shade the eyelids and a ring of skin around the eyes. Do not lift or remove the goggles to light that area. If the skin around the eyes is what you care about, a mask is the tool built for it: the light sits on the face around the eye opening, with no LEDs over the eyes themselves. Red light therapy mask vs panel compares the two for face use.

Is red light ever aimed at the eyes on purpose?

In research, yes, with low-power devices under supervision. It is not something to copy with a skin device.

Researchers in London gave 20 adults a single three-minute exposure of 670 nm deep-red light at 8 mW/cm² in the morning and measured better colour contrast vision three hours later, with some effect still present a week on. Study. The study had no placebo group, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology says much more human data is needed and warns against trying eye treatments at home. AAO. A skin panel is many times brighter than the light used in that study, and most of its output is near-infrared. None of this research applies to looking into one.

Who needs extra care?

Anyone with an eye condition, anyone who has had recent eye surgery, and anyone taking medication that makes the eyes or skin sensitive to light.

• Eye conditions, especially of the retina: ask your eye doctor before using any light device near your face.
• Light-sensitising medication. The AAD lists this as a reason to check first. Ask your pharmacist if you are unsure about yours.
• Children. Keep them out of a panel's beam; the devices are not for them.
• Epilepsy and pulsed light. See the precautions.

Stop and see an eye doctor if you notice afterimages that linger, blurred vision, eye discomfort or headaches after sessions.

How do you use the goggles in practice?

Put them on before you switch the panel on, and take them off after it stops.

1. Goggles on first. Then start the session with the remote.
2. Check the fit. They should sit close around the eye socket with no gap at the sides.
3. Keep them on for body sessions too. It is easy to glance round at the panel without thinking.
4. Do not look into the LEDs, even briefly, even though they look dim.
5. Wait for the timer. Take the goggles off when the light has stopped.
6. Replace them if they crack or no longer sit flush.

Kivorla devices and your eyes

The panel comes with goggles and its precautions say to wear them every time. The mask has an eye opening with no diodes over the eyes.

The 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel includes goggles in the box, and its precautions read: "Always wear the supplied goggles. Do not look directly into the panel." Its timer runs from 1 to 30 minutes and stops after 5 if you set nothing. The 4-Wavelength Red Light Therapy Mask is cordless, has no diodes over the eyes, and switches off at 5, 10 or 15 minutes; its precautions say not to stare directly at the light source, so do not take it off and peer into it while it is lit.

Read the precautions before ordering, since returns are accepted within 30 days, less a 10% restocking fee if the device is unopened with its seals intact, or 20% if it is opened but undamaged and complete. Standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free. How to set up a red light panel at home covers the rest of a session.

Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices, and are not for treating the eyes. If you have an eye condition or have had eye surgery, speak to your eye doctor before using a light device.