Dr. Mena says light therapy is not just for athletes. Photo Credit: Dr. Vittorio Mena.
Consider how light therapy, known as beneficial to athletes, can impact the patients in our chair
By Vittorio Mena, OD, MS
July 23, 2026
In honor of the FIFA World Cup, I felt obliged to tie in how we can bring sports applications into our everyday lives and even in our practices. In the three host countries this year–Canada, United States and Mexico–fans spent exorbitant amounts of money for tickets to get into the stadium to see “their team” win a match. With a record-breaking total of 48 teams, Yahoo Finance stated Americans are expected to bet $3.1 billion on the World Cup.1
WHAT ARE PATIENTS WILLING TO SPEND?
What I noticed during this past month and a half is that people will go out of their way to witness something that is special. To me, this shows that in certain circumstances, money in a way has no limits since people will spend money—and potentially go into debt—to be either in the stadium, local watch parties, buying gear and souvenirs.
Now consider a patient who is struggling with a disease or has lingering symptoms for many months or years. How much are they willing to pay for something that could potentially get rid of those symptoms, even when it may be outside of insurance coverage?
As a human population, we typically think with emotions first rather than logic. Then once the emotion has been established people will try to rationalize whether logically or illogically to do or get something or not. Price is just one component. What I’ve seen, especially with the World Cup, is that if someone really wants something, they will make that particular outcome happen.
CONNECTING ATHLETES TO OUR TYPICAL PATIENTS
When it comes to sports, many athletes utilize different tools to help their bodies recover or get stronger. Every athlete uses their vision, and we can potentially enhance our vision with not only supplements or eye exercises but also with light. Our eyes use photoreceptors to see and because of this we need the right nutrients to the eye to help get a proper signal to the brain.
I think every patient in our chair deserves the same attention to their vision. One way I see doing this is through light therapy. It made me wonder: If you were to use a therapeutic light at a specific targeted wavelength to help different parts of your body to restore health back into someone’s life, how much would that be worth to someone?
THE IMPACT OF LIGHT THERAPY
Just like plants need water and sunlight well, so do our own bodies. There is a great deal of research on the impacts of sunlight for overall health. Optometrists often even discuss the impact of light and outdoor exposure with parents of their pediatric patient, as just 1-2 hours per day can help children minimize the chances of developing myopia.
With a sports and nutrition background, this is exactly what I do with my own patients and family members. I see value in light therapy, also known as syntonics, which has been around for centuries. In our profession, The College of Syntonic Optometry was established in 1933 and is still going strong with its 94th conference coming in October 2027.
We can educate our patients about how long-term, global research explains how light can make an impact on the body. Just like many athletes experience, when you apply a targeted wavelength to the body, it can assist with visual improvements such as amblyopia, strabismus, convergence issues, myopia and even age-related macular degeneration. Beyond that, the benefits can include circulation, athletic performance, skin rejuvenation—a hot topic in optometry—relieving pain and inflammation, injury recovery, headaches/traumatic brain injuries and mood disorders.
CONSIDER THE OPPORTUNITY
In my practice, we use the harmonic light therapy systems from LumiCeuticals. These FDA-cleared systems can be placed on multiple parts of the body that can target a certain wavelength.
ODs can incorporate light therapy into their practices in a number of ways.
- This could be used in the practice as a revenue stream just like a med spa.
- This device could be rented to patients for two weeks at a time.
- It could be purchased from your practice for personal use by patients and utilized in their own households.
Any of these pathways leads to a revenue stream to the practice. Costs typically range from as low as $1,000 to as high as $9,000 to purchase. Patient rentals for a trial of the product can cost $200-$350+. The return on investment could range between 10%-40%, depending on how you run your practice and options the patient/client chooses. Prices will vary for each practice. However, this is an offering that can make your practice stand out and potentially rejuvenate wellness in your patients.
LOOK AT YOUR OPTIONS
This is just one technology with light therapy that I personally use on clients and patients. There are many other technologies available to explore to see what may be your best fit. If you have any questions about my experience, please feel free to email me.
Consult your state board to see if offering these services are within the statutory scope in your state. Some states may allow light therapy for treating eye and ocular adnexa only. Others require these services to be handled under an ophthalmology license.
In all that you do, aim to help your patients see their best and also feel their best! Go be the light of the world!
P.S. Congrats to anyone who cheered for the FIFA World Cup champion Spain! You get bragging rights for the next four years!
Disclaimers: Light therapy is not intended to cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. Please seek a medical professional before starting any type of therapy.
References
Read more insights from Dr. Mena here.
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Vittorio Mena, OD, MS, is the sports vision director with Optical Academy. Dr. Mena is also an optometric financial coach/fiduciary with Series 6 and 63 investment licenses and Series 2-14 life and variable annuity licenses. To contact him: menavitt@gmail.com |
