Visum Light Dosing Guidelines
What Does Dosing Mean in Light Therapy?
In light therapy, dosing generally includes:
Session length
Frequency of sessions
Placement on the body
Type of device used (Hand-Held or Flex Pad)
Whether the application is targeted or broad-area
Unlike pharmaceuticals, light therapy dosing is often adjusted gradually and based on response rather than fixed measurements.
This page has three parts – General information regarding dosing, Section 1 – Visum Hand-Held Light, Section 2 – Flex Pads
General Visum Light Dosing Philosophy
Visum Light dosing follows a “start low and build gradually” approach.
Many users experience benefits with shorter sessions and do not need long exposure times. More light is not always better. Gentle, consistent use is often more effective than aggressive dosing.
Listening to the body and observing response over time is an important part of finding the right dose. For more information on this please check out our Blog – When is too much, too much?
Key Light Therapy Definitions
Understanding a few foundational terms can help clarify how light therapy works and why proper dosing matters. These definitions are provided to support informed and responsible use of Visum Light products.
PBM (Photobiomodulation)
Photobiomodulation refers to the biological effect of light on living tissue. It describes how specific wavelengths of light interact with cells and tissues to support natural biological processes.
Power Intensity
Power intensity describes the amount of energy passing through an area that is perpendicular to the light beam. It is typically measured in milliwatts per centimeter squared (mW/cm²).
Power intensity helps describe how concentrated the light output is at a given point.
Irradiance
Irradiance refers to the amount of light energy that arrives on a surface with a specific orientation. Like power intensity, irradiance is also measured in milliwatts per centimeter squared (mW/cm²).
While the terms are often used interchangeably, irradiance accounts for how light actually reaches the surface being treated.
Joules
A joule is a unit of energy. In light therapy, joules are calculated by multiplying power (in milliwatts) by time (in seconds).
Joules = Power (mW) × Time (seconds)
This calculation helps describe the total amount of energy delivered during a session.
Dose
Dose refers to the total amount of light energy applied to a specific site. It is commonly stated in joules (J) or joules per centimeter squared (J/cm²).
Dose is influenced by power, time, distance, and area of application.
Biphasic Dose Response
The biphasic dose response describes how biological systems respond differently depending on the amount of exposure to a stimulus, such as light.
Very low doses of light may have little to no effect. Slightly higher doses may produce a positive response. Doses beyond that optimal range may reduce effectiveness or produce no additional benefit.
This concept is based on the Arndt–Schulz principle, which states that small doses stimulate, moderate doses inhibit, and large doses may be counterproductive.
Why Stronger Is Not Better
Do not assume that a “stronger” light is better.
We are often conditioned to believe that more power produces better results, but this is not the case with photobiomodulation. Research has shown that the body can only absorb a finite number of photons. Excess energy beyond that point is not absorbed and does not increase effectiveness.
Proper dosing focuses on delivering the right amount of light, not the highest possible output.
Too much power intensity can exceed what the body can effectively use. Understanding and respecting these limits is an important part of responsible light therapy use.
Hand-Held Dosing Guidelines
The Visum Light Hand-Held is designed for focused, direct applications and shorter session times.
Typical Hand-Held dosing includes:
10–30 seconds per point for targeted or acupoint work
Up to 1–2 minutes for localized areas as needed
One to two sessions per day depending on comfort
Hand-Held applications are often brief and precise, making them easy to integrate into daily routines.
Flex Pad Dosing Guidelines
The Visum Light Flex Pad system is designed for broader coverage, hands-free use, and longer session times.
Typical Flex Pad dosing includes:
10–20 minutes per session
One session per day, or as tolerated
Longer sessions for relaxation or recovery support
Flex Pads allow light to be applied comfortably over larger areas while the user rests or relaxes.
About LED Output Testing
As the LED light therapy industry becomes more standardized in how output is measured and reported, we are providing the videos below to show how Visum Light hand-held devices are tested at the manufacturer level. The Flex Pads were tested in an Integrative Sphere By LightLab International.
Visum Red, Near-Infrared (NIR), and Blue each include four output settings. Green currently includes two or three output settings, depending on whether your device has received the software update that adds the 33.3 mW/cm² Green setting.
Why Testing Results Can Vary
Testing results can vary significantly depending on the equipment used and the type of data being collected.
For example, testing methods may differ based on questions such as:
Is the test measuring total output or average output?
Is output measured per individual LED or across the entire unit?
Is testing performed using an integrating sphere, or with a power meter such as those produced by Thor?
Each of these approaches measures different aspects of light output, which can lead to very different reported results.
Understanding the Context of Test Data
There are still many variables in LED testing, and no single testing method is universally considered “better” than another. What matters most is understanding:
How the test was performed
What equipment was used
What data is being reported
Without this context, comparisons between devices or test results can be misleading.
How Visum Light Has Been Tested
Visum Light devices have been tested using two different approaches, each providing useful but distinct information.
One testing method measured total radiant flux and total radiant power across the entire unit. The other measured output on a per-LED basis.
Both approaches offer insight into device performance, and together they provide a more complete understanding of how Visum Light delivers energy.
Why this matters
This transparency allows users to understand not just what numbers are reported, but how those numbers are generated — which is essential when interpreting power intensity, irradiance, and dosing information.
SECTION 1 - The Visum Hand-Held Light
This dosing table is not intended to confuse you, and most people will never need to use it.
The table is provided for users who want to track the joules delivered per session. If you are simply using Visum Light comfortably and consistently, you do not need to calculate joules to get meaningful benefit.
For those who prefer to measure and track, this table can help you estimate dosing more precisely. Ultimately, it is the operator’s choice whether to go low and slow or fast and furious.
Our suggestion is to go low and slow. The body can only absorb so many photons at one time, and excess light does not automatically create better results. We explain this in more detail in our blog. Read it here.
SECTION 2 - The Flex Pads
As with the Visum Light, the Flex Pads have been tested for accurate output and dosing. Please refer to the following chart for guidance.
Flex Pad Test Results
Mighty Pad
Long Skinny Pad
Pain Buster Pad
Generous Pad
Curved Pad
Poll Pad
Small Dog Pad
Medium Dog Pad
Large Dog Pad
References
Henderson, T. A., & Morries, L. D. (2017). Multi-Watt Near-Infrared Phototherapy for the Treatment of Comorbid Depression: An Open-Label Single-Arm Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry / Frontiers Research Foundation, 8, 187. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00187
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, October 23). Arndt–Schulz rule. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arndt%E2%80%93Schulz_rule&oldid=1051428222
