An Examination of the Acute Effects of Bright Light Therapy in a Non-Clinical Sample

The integral role of light in physiological and psychological well-being is illustrated by the application of phototherapy, or bright light therapy (BLT), in treating mood disorders such as seasonal affective disorder and non-seasonal depression. More recently, BLT has been applied in treating jet lag due to transmeridian travel, complications from shift work, and disorders of sleeping and waking. Despite the numerous potential applications of BLT, deleterious side effects have not been fully explored in a non-clinical population. Thus, I examined the acute side effects (nausea, headache, blurred vision, eye strain) of a single 30-minute exposure of bright white light (10,000 lux) therapy and a comparison dim red light (