Massive increases in performance and reduction of production costs has allowed for incredible innovation in LEDs for medical applications.
Hospitals utilize LED lights in exam rooms and surgical suites to replace traditional single-source lights, creating a more versatile lighting situation for medical doctors, nurses and technologists. In the surgical setting, traditional overhead single-source lights provide adequate illumination but present problems with heat production and shadowing. Because LEDs are lightweight and low-profile, overhead lights can be arranged in multiple direct view formation thus eliminating shadowing.
LEDs greatly reduce heat output from light sources while providing a more comfortable lighting source for surgeons and techs. Reduced heat output also helps to lower the risk of exposure-related tissue damage for the patient. LED color outputs can even be changed on-demand, to suit the needs of healthcare providers and in some cases aid in clearer imaging of surgical sites.
LEDs are being used in multiple phototherapy applications. Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) use blue lights to treat Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia, in which the livers of newborns are unable to process bilirubin, causing jaundice. These blue lights, or bilirubin lights, convert the bilirubin into a form that can be excreted through the body’s waste systems.
Dental healthcare providers use LED lights in much the same way as hospitals or other care providers, both in exam room lighting and for therapeutic and cosmetic modalities. LED lights are used in cosmetic dental applications to enhance the bleaching properties of medical grade hydrogen peroxide. Dentists and orthodontists also use LED curing lights to harden, or polymerize, resin-based composites. Additionally, LED UV lights are used as an aid to detect, repair or remove composite resin, which fluoresces under UV light. In the past, these repairs were tedious due to difficulty in fully identifying areas of composite resin.
In the dermatological setting, LED lights can be used to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and certain fungal skin infections. Medical estheticians in the newly emerging “cosmeceutical” or med-spa industry are turning to LED lights to augment cosmetic skincare procedures.
