ESCRS 2026: Bringing low-level light therapy into a refractive practice

From box to shelf: building a patient pathway

Radhika Rampat, MBBS, FRCOphth, a consultant ophthalmologist and vision correction surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London, discussed how she has built low-level light therapy (LLLT) into her refractive surgery practice, speaking to Ophthalmology Times Europe at the 44th Congress of the ESCRS, held 11-15 September 2026 in London.

Rampat, who also holds an honorary consultant post at Moorfields Eye Hospital and runs a private practice in central London, said she built a dedicated web page around the LLLT device, made by Aspen, once it arrived in her clinic. The page includes a clickable patient questionnaire that identifies a patient's underlying issue and screens for contraindications, alongside pricing, the treatment protocol, and aftercare information. Before a patient's first treatment, they also receive a bespoke consent form that Rampat created from scratch.

Preparing the eye for surgery

Rampat said the therapy is not limited to treating dry eye. She also uses it to optimise the ocular surface ahead of laser vision correction, refractive lens exchange, and implantable contact lens procedures, as well as for patients who develop dry eye after surgery, a condition she referred to as surgical temporary discomfort syndrome (STDS). She described the treatment as painless, fast, and associated with a short recovery time.

A case study in chalazion resolution

Rampat also described using the device on a patient with a large chalazion as an alternative to incision and curettage. The session ran to 17 minutes, during which she said she could see the chalazion reducing in size; by the patient's second session, it had almost completely resolved.

Why ocular surface health matters for biometry

Rampat said treating the ocular surface with LLLT before biometry improves the accuracy of those measurements, compared with performing biometry without prior treatment, and gives patients undergoing lens replacement or cataract surgery a better postoperative experience. She said use of the device in her practice has continued to expand since its introduction and that it has become one of the most popular therapies she offers.