Customer Reviews

Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device

5 star:		(176)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

The manual that comes with the goLITE states that it could help alleviate the so-called winter blues depressions, help with jet lag and allow shift workers better adjust to their unusual schedules. The theory claims that exposure to bright blue light tricks our body into producing producing certain hormones that make us feel more alert and energetic and inhibits the production of hormones that make us sleepy. Some people who feel depressed and exhausted in winter time because there's not much bright light may respond favorably to light therapy. goLITE is a light therapy device.

The light:
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It's really, really bright. For those familiar with LED flashlights, think of it this way: a decent LED flashlight device has about 3 LEDs. The goLITE has SIXTY. Therefore, think of TWENTY flashlights bright, when used at maximum intensity. That IS bright. It's so bright, you are not supposed to stare at it directly. I did and my eyes hurt for about half an hour after that. Thankfully, the intensity is adjustable in increments of 25% with the 50% setting being recommended for starters.

The therapy:
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The manual recommends 15-30 minute sessions with the light bathing your face from the side, at about eye level. The light therapists believe that the best times to use it are in the morning but, for those who, like me, feel sleepy in the afternoon, an afternoon session could also be beneficial. I normally use it early in the morning, with my breakfast and every time I exercise, which is the evening-afternoon.

The controls:
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A touch LCD panel allows the user to set the clock, the timer, the alarm and the light intensity. The most needed functions: the timer and the light adjuster are easy to set. For the others, you may need a manual to remind you that, for example, if you really, really want to switch between the 12-hour to the 24-hour time format you must press and hold both the TIMER and the MINUS buttons for 2 seconds. So, don't lose the manual.

The build:
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The goLITE has a definite durable, solid, 'high end' feeling. A protective case/sleeve is included. There is also a charger. A small metallic 'stand' is held magnetically inside its own depression in the back of the body. The small manual is informative and only 20-30% of it is regulation-mandated nonsense or technical mumbo-jumbo graphs. The rechargeable battery can not be replaced. The manufacturer expects the goLITE to last for about 50 years if used for 30 minutes per day, every day. A fully charged device should be able to run on battery for at least 3-4 sessions.

The ergonomics:
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I appreciate the small size because I am taking it with me to office. It fits easily inside my laptop bag. The carrying case is well made. My only problem and this is where goLITE is losing one star is the placement of the controls on the same side with the lights. Like I said, staring directly at the lights is not pleasant and, the way the controls work, accidentally touching the PLUS button WILL turn the light on. It would be A LOT better if the LCD panel was located on the back. It might have even allowed for a smaller device.

The effectiveness:
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I can now testify that, after more than three months through a long winter I feel happier and more optimistic now than at the same time a year ago. Normally by early March I have that feel of exhaustion and the 'will this winter ever go away?' type of thoughts. Not this year. I do wish for the winter to go away but I seem to feel more energized and less negative.

The battery life:
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The manual claims that you could use the goLITE for about 4 sessions on one charge. I am pleased to note that, after 3-4 months of use I can use it for 6-8 sessions on one charge. They are 20 minute sessions with the light at 100% intensity.

The rating:
-----------
I appreciate the quality of the build, the brightness of the light and the fact that I can do several therapy sessions before having to recharge. This is a good light therapy device.

The very small negatives are all related to the LCD control panel. Certain functions can not be intuitively invoked and, once the manual is lost, may give the end-user some headaches. The other small negative is the placement of the LCD control panel. Think of it this way: you would not like a gun that was build in a way that forced you to stare at the barrel while loading it, right? Similarly, it would be a lot better if you didn't have to stare at sixty LED that could turn themselves on at any time while you are struggling with setting up the timer. However, once the goLITE is set up, I rarely change the setting so this is a very rare inconvenience.

So after reading these reviews on Amazon.com, I was initially VERY skeptical about this product working. Most of these reviews come from people in the Vine program or the reviews were being released rapidly over a short time period and that had me very doubtful. But before I go into that, let me give you a little background on my personal story. I am 21 years old, Asian-American (maybe I'm not adjusted for the long winters in Vermont and I've been having sleep problems since the age of 17 or 18.

For years, I would sleep in and miss classes, and would generally feel chronically fatigued and apathetic. My problem got pretty bad to the point that I would miss important meetings or events. I was focused, and hardworking but I just could not wake up on time (and go to bed on time either)! I would go to bed at say 11 PM, yet I would still wake up at 12 PM or 1 PM the next day. I would be like what the hell. So then over this winter break (where I had a good 5 weeks off), I started letting myself go to bed at the time my body NATURALLY fell asleep (not when I *wanted* to). I found that I was going to bed at 3 AM. And what happened? I STILL woke up at 11 AM!!!! What did this show me? That I WAS getting 8 hours of sleep BUT it was at a later time (hence going to bed at 11 PM didn't do anything because I really wasn't falling asleep until 3-4 AM in the morning).

So why did this happen? Why did my sleep schedule get delayed (this problem is called DSPS or delayed sleep phase syndrome --- it's nothing serious it's just a big pain when trying to function in society --- my primary care physician referred me to a sleep MD who diagnosed me with this as well.)? Well in high school I had bad habits. I would go to bed late playing VIDEO GAMES, watching TV, doing intellectually stimulating activities that would make me stay up late. Also the summer before college started, I had a job where I was working as a waiter at night (4 PM-10 PM) or (6 PM-1 AM), and thus I was sleeping later. I guess all of this carried through college and in grad. school (modern day society makes it difficult to live a natural technological-independent state huh?)

Anyways, before I digress any further, this winter break, I let my body go to bed when it wanted too. But then something bad happened. I was going to bed later and later every day (going to bed at 8 AM!!!). And thus, I would end up sleeping my 8 hours during the DAY!!! It was terrible. So I looked into chronotherapy, and I did something where I would go to bed a little bit later every day (so instead of going to bed at 8 am the next day, I would go to bed at 11 am, then 2 PM, then 5 PM, then eventually 8 PM), and let me assure you it wasn't fun.

So my doctor recommended me this product which piqued my interest and I eventually found this product here on Amazon (Apollo was the company that makes these products, but Philips bought them over). Immediately after a few sessions, I found that I was waking up at 5-6 AM NATURALLY and going to bed at 9-10 PM PHYSICALLY/EYELID HEAVY SLEEPY. I also felt happier too and the reason why this happens is that the blue light increases the production of SERATONIN (the happy go-lucky hormone that is low in depression, etc).

I'm a grad. student in Biology, and I'll briefly go into the details of the basic physiology of blue light. Basically, your eye's retina (a thin membrane at the back of the eye-ball) has a couple of receptors. The ones you've probably heard of were the rod and cones. Well, there's another one called the "MELANOPSIN" photoreceptor that scientists about 10 years ago discovered. And these are on the edges of the retina (not centric like the rods and cones). These melanopsin photoreceptors absorb light of a specific wavelength and that is BLUE (460-480 nm). Older light boxes used white light (which contained blue light) that mimicked light from the sun, but apparently those are superbright. So why can't you use a regular old BLUE lightBULB then? I don't really know maybe someone can comment on this as I'm not a physicist.

Other notes: This thing is expensive, so if you want something a BIT cheaper you can go with the slightly older Philips/Apollo units some of them are as low as $80.P You might be able to make a deduction on this unit with your health insurance or through your taxes, just a heads up, but I'm not 100% as of yet.

If you have problems waking up on time, have chronic fatigue, depression, SAD, ciracadian rhythm disorders, then this is worth a shot. I can't guarantee that it will work for you, but after doing some experiments, I don't believe that this was a placebo affect. N=1 though, so take what I say and everything on Amazon.com with a grain of salt.

Length:: 2:25 Mins

Many people feel a little less energetic in the winter, while others get the winter blues. It has been shown that the decrease in natural sunlight may be the culprit in this seasonal change on our bodies. In fact, it has a name - Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD).

The Philips goLITE BLU light is designed to help sufferers of SAD by mimicking the effect that the sun has on your body.

A few pointers - tips about the light (Many were not included in my video)-

- It uses all LEDs therefore it is very unlikely that any of the "bulbs" will burn out.
- LEDs generate much less heat than other forms of light, so there is a very low risk of fire.
- You must (on occasion) look into periphery of the light. The effect of the light works through your EYES and not your skin, therefore you must glance directly into the light (about once a minute for me).
- The unit MUST be charged for 8 eight hour prior to the initial use.
- There is no access into the unit - meaning there are no screws or bolts that can be used to access the light, batteries...etc.
- Surprisingly small - probably measures 8"x8"x1" and weighs less than 2lbs.
- Has a built in alarm feature.
- Do not use two hours before you go to bed, since your hormonal response to the light may keep you from sleeping.
- Built in timer lets you preset how long you want the light to operate (up to 1 hour)

Final verdict - the Philips goLITE BLU is well designed and has loads of built in functionality. While it is not it not inexpensive it may very well hold the key to helping you feel more energetic in the winter months.

4 1/2 stars.

i've been battling sleep issues for many years.

here are my issues...i would get into bed around 11pm and would just lay there tossing and turning. i just could not fall asleep. sometimes i would look at the clock and it's 3am...sometimes 4am. then i would fall asleep and then have my alarm set to 730am b/c i had to go to work. most days i would snooze every 10 mins from 730 to 830 just to sneak in a little more sleep.

it was terrible. i was tired all day long. and the lack of sleep really effected me both physically and mentally.

on weekends...i would fall asleep at 4am or so and then would be able to sleep until 11am or noon. but then the bad cycle started again sunday night as i had work monday morning.

i self diagnosed myself with having DSPS (delayed sleep phase syndrome) where my internal clock was all shifted up about 5 or 6 hours.

i have been suffering with this for so many years. i tried warm milk. i tried soothing music. i even tried lunesta/ambien for a few days with no help.

then i found this item on the internet.

the first day, saturday, i set the alarm for 930am. woke up and sat with the light for 30 mins. sunday, i set the alarm to 830am and sat with the light for another 30 mins. monday, i set it for 730am and sat with it again.

by the end of the week, i was falling asleep within minutes of hitting the bed at 11pm. i was naturally waking up even 10 mins before the alarm would go on.

i could not believe what was going on. after 5 days with this little piece of machinery, my sleep issues have been fixed.

i'm now 3 weeks into it waking up every day at 615am after falling asleep at 11. that's 7+ hours of sleep. i still can't believe it. i do sometimes wake up in the middle of the night after an intense dream but fall back asleep within minutes.

i now only use this about 15 mins in the morning and my days are now normal. i have a ton of energy in the morning and am falling asleep when i need to.

i am not a morning person. i don't think you understand just how badly i suffered trying to get up every day. and this thing fixed it. heck, i woke up today at 6am and worked out for an hour before coming into work.

highly recommended!!!

I have been using the go lite blue for about a month now, and am completely convinced of its effectiveness in helping me fight the winter blues. I am a native of Southern California and now live in Massachusetts. Every winter I seem to lose my energy as soon as the seasons change and the weather gets colder and darker. I did a lot of research on the subject of seasonal affective disorder and found that many of my symptoms matched. I bought the go lite blue began using it every morning for 15-30 minutes while I read the newspaper. Since I started I have been sleeping more soundly, felt more energetic during the day and found myself not dreading getting up in the morning and facing the cold, dark winter new england climate. It has really had a significant positive impact on my daily routine. I would recommend this to anyone who has difficulty dealing with the dark winter months. I hope this helps, it is definitely working for me.

I was wondering what the difference is between both the briteLite 6 and goLITE BLU. So I asked Philips and they stated that the goLITE BLU uses a newer technology. The briteLITE 6 (10,000 lux)is full spectrum light. A research study was started at Jefferson Medical University to find out what it is in the full spectrum light that helps with mood relief, depression, and getting your sleep cycle back on track. They found that the effective light bandwidth is within the band of blue light waves. For this reason, the goLITE BLU only uses the blue light wave. Because you are getting the right kind of light you need, you actually use the goLITE BLU for about half the amount of time that you use a 10,000 lux light. The Philips Vitalight Department will be able to assist you with your inquiry. The Consumer Care Department 866-832-4361 is available Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5:30pm eastern standard time.

Either way both are similarly priced, and get positive reviews from their users. Money permitting, I'll try to get both and see for myself which one I prefer.

Here is the website address:

[...]

Length:: 3:19 Mins

Wow! That's too good to be true. If the effects will continue - I'll call it life changing!

The manual that comes with the goLITE states that it could help alleviate the so-called winter blues depressions, help with jet lag and allow shift workers to better adjust to their unusual schedules. The theory claims that exposure to bright blue light tricks our body into producing certain hormones that make us feel more alert and energetic and inhibits the production of hormones that make us sleepy. Some people who feel depressed and exhausted in winter time because there's not much bright light may respond favorably to light therapy. goLITE is a light therapy device.

Now, in practice, this being my second winter with goLITE, I can say that I'm using it almost daily, from November through March. I take a 20-minute 'light bath' in the morning at the beginning of my workday and another 20 minute whenever I happen to be on the treadmill. The goLITE being as small as it is, I have no problem taking it with me to the office whenever I physically commute there - it goes into my laptop bag without a problem.

But, let me talk about this device specifically.

THE LIGHT

It's really, really bright. For those familiar with LED flashlights, think of it this way: a decent LED flashlight device has about 3 LEDs. The goLITE has 60 (SIXTY). Therefore, think of TWENTY flashlights bright, when used at maximum intensity. This IS bright. It's so bright, you are not supposed to stare at it directly and you definitely shouldn't. I did and my eyes hurt for about half an hour after that. Thankfully, the intensity is adjustable in increments of 25% with the 50% setting being recommended for starters. I am using it at 100% but I NEVER stare at the light directly.

THE THERAPY

The manual recommends 15-30 minute sessions with the light bathing your face from the side, at about eye level. The light therapists believe that the best times to use it are in the morning but, for those who, like me, feel sleepy in the afternoon, an afternoon session could also be beneficial. As I mentioned already, I tend to use it early in the morning, with my breakfast and every time I exercise, which is the evening-afternoon.

THE CONTROLS

A touch LCD panel allows the user to set the clock, the timer, the alarm and the light intensity. The most needed functions: the timer and the light adjuster are easy to set. For the others, you may need a manual to remind you that, for example, if you really, really want to switch between the 12-hour to the 24-hour time format you must press and hold both the TIMER and the MINUS buttons for 2 seconds. So, don't lose the manual. Well... if you do lose it, the goLITE site has the manual as a .PDF that can be downloaded.

BUILD

The goLITE has a definite durable, solid, 'high end' feeling. A protective case/sleeve is included. There is also a charger. A small metallic 'stand' is held magnetically inside its own depression in the back of the unit's body. The small manual is informative and only 20-30% of it is regulation-mandated nonsense or technical mumbo-jumbo graphs. The rechargeable battery cannot be replaced but, so far, it's been holding its charges and I've been a heavy user for the past 2 winters. The manufacturer expects the goLITE to last for about 50 years if used for 30 minutes per day, every day. A fully charged device should be able to run on battery for at least 3-4 sessions.

The manual also states that it's possible that a few of the LED's may die eventually. Again, this was NOT the case with my goLITE. On its second year of life, it's as good and as bright as new with all 60 LEDs shining.

ERGONOMICS

I appreciate the small size because I am taking it with me to office. It fits easily inside my laptop bag. The carrying case is well made. My only problem and this is where goLITE is losing half a star is the placement of the controls on the same side with the lights. Staring directly at the lights is not pleasant and, the way the controls work, accidentally touching the PLUS button WILL turn the light on. It would be A LOT better if the LCD panel was located on the back. It might have even allowed for a smaller device. The way it is now, caution must be exercised.

EFFECTIVENESS

As to whether it's effective or not, I can only speak for myself. The winter of 2007-8 was not a good one for me. It felt like it was never going to end and by February I was feeling, if not depressed, at least in need of a boost. This wasn't the case during the 2008-9 dark and cold season when I started using the goLITE even though, as we all know, times were not that good then. I am also doing fine this winter - writing this review in the middle of January, 2010. It's hard to tell if I should give some credit to this blue light or maybe it's all in my head but the fact is that I somehow feel compelled to use it every day and I'm at my normal energy levels.

MY RATING

I appreciate the quality of the build, the brightness of the light and the fact that I can do several therapy sessions before having to recharge. This is a good light therapy device.

The very small negatives are all related to the LCD control panel. Certain functions can not be intuitively invoked and, once the manual is lost, may give the end-user some headaches - get the .PDF.

The other small negative is the placement of the LCD control panel. Think of it this way: you would not like a gun that was build in a way that forced you to stare at the barrel while loading it, right? Similarly, it would be a lot better if you didn't have to stare at sixty LED that could turn themselves on at any time while you are struggling with setting up the timer. However, once the goLITE is set up, I rarely change the setting so this is a very rare inconvenience.

The not so intuitive controls are an issue but I doubt that most would ever want to use or set the timer. Other than maybe readjusting the clock, once a year, everything else is usually set once and it stays that way. My experience is that I set the goLITE for 20-minute sessions and all I do is touch the ON button to start and this is all I need to do.

I would give the goLITE 4.5 stars but I will round it up to 5 because Amazon does not allow for half-star increments.

__________________________________

Note:

The 'universal adaptor' designation means that not only does it come with a charger that's good for both 110/250V and 50-60Hz (they all do) but also has interchangeable prongs that would allow you to use in places such as Europe. This is nice but you can get a general-purpose universal adapter for a couple of dollars anyway.

I've had my light for almost two months. I really like it and it's very helpful, but I have a serious problem with customer service at Philips which is why I cannot give this product a better review. The product comes with a two year warranty which is a huge factor in my buying it. But if customer service doesn't do their part in fulfilling the warranty, then the warranty is useless.

Two of the bulbs on my unit burned out so I called customer service and they said they would send me a replacement light. The one they sent has a different kind of screen on it, not frosted like the one I purchased, and I much prefer the original one. Also the replacement unit says "Apollo Health" on the bottom, not "Philips" (otherwise it looks the same).

I called customer service again and they were not at all helpful, not even the supervisor I talked to. Both people I spoke with at customer service told me that the lights were exactly the same as each other. We just kept going back and forth, with me saying that they are obviously different, them saying they are the same, etc., etc.

They finally told me that Philips had bought out Apollo, and they didn't admit it, but I have concluded that this replacement unit must be older stock (they just kept repeating that the lights were the same). The supervisor told me that she had checked with the warehouse and all of the units they had were the same as they had sent me. I asked if there was someone else there who could help me and she told me no.

Neither of the people at Philips who I spoke with seemed the slightest bit interested in actually providing customer service. Even the tone of voice and attitude (of both of them) was apathetic. What I would like is a replacement that is the same as the one I paid for, which seems reasonable to me.

I'd like to give you a little of my background first. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest all of my 32 years and I have become accustomed to short summers and long grey winters. The change I experience, usually beginning in late October, is noticeable to most everyone around me. I have a loss of energy, excitement and overall happiness. Quite often it has been suggested that I have S.A.D. and should look into treatment, either through medication or light therapy. My preference would be a permanent solution rather than a temporary fix, so the latter has always been more interesting to me.

Finally having the opportunity to give light therapy a chance, I jumped into it right away. Wanting to ensure that I benefited fully I read through the user guide before I turned on the unit. It recommended charging it for 8 hours before the first use, which was fine since I didn't plan on using it until morning. Also for a beginner user like myself it suggested that I use it for 15-30 minutes a day at 50% intensity.

The first morning I set it at 20 minutes and placed it just out of arms reach to the left of my computer. It has a easy to use magnetic arm that stores on the back and when inserted into the unit, allows it to sit at an angle. I have to admit the blue light it emits even at 50% intensity is pretty bright. After about 5 minutes though it just became part of the background and I didn't pay much attention to it. I did appreciate the auto-off feature so that I wasn't having to watch the clock. The travel sleeve was a nice addition too for mornings like today when I'm running late and want to take it to work with me.

I am now on my third morning of use and although I'm not willing to say that it's some "miracle cure" I do have to admit I feel a bit better. My first thoughts have been that I'm only feeling this way because I want to and that it has nothing to do with the goLITE unit. Is this the case, I don't know? Which is why I am only giving this unit 3 stars as of today. I do plan on continuing to use it daily and increasing the intensity as recommended. My hope for this is that after a few weeks I can come back and say definitively whether this did or didn't help me.

I am by no means a technical person, so I apologize if that area seems to be lacking. I will continue to update my review with information I believe will be helpful. I am also looking forward to reading about others experiences with the goLITE unit.

UPDATE 12/1/08 - So it's been 9 days since I started using the goLITE and there has been one big change that was worth noting. I have always been someone to sleep a lot. On the weekends it was not unusual for me to sleep 10-12 hours straight. In the short time I have been using this I have been waking up every morning after only 6-8 hours of sleep feeling awake and alert, even when I tried to go back to sleep this weekend I was not able to. I am left to believe that this unit is helping regulate my body clock which is something I have been unable to do for 15 years.

If you have any questions please comment and I'll try my best to answer them. Thank you for reading!

*This is a re-post of my original review. I rated this item a 3 star at first, but later changed my opinion and wanted to increase it to a 4 star. Amazon informed me the only way to do this was to delete my original and re-post.