The use of polarised polychromatic non-coherent light alone as a therapy for venous leg ulceration

This study assessed the effectiveness of polarised, polychromatic, non-coherent light therapy in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. Investigators in previous studies have advocated the use of light as an adjunct to other proven therapies or on its own.

This was a pilot prospective case-series study. We enrolled 25 patients with venous leg ulcers. All were treated with light only. Phototherapy (light therapy) treatments were given once a day over four weeks.

All ulcers except one (99%) had a positive value for the change in healing area at the end of the four weeks. The total number of 73 leg ulcers recorded at the beginning of the study was reduced to 51 at the end of the four weeks (p < 0.01). The decrease in wound surface area following the treatment was statistically significant (mean: 57.15%; SD: 31.87%; p < 0.01).

Polarised, polychromatic light therapy applied as a monotherapy was associated with positive healing rates in patients with venous leg ulcers. It is a simple and non-invasive treatment. However, a well-designed randomised controlled study is needed to confirm the efficacy of this form of phototherapy and to objectively evaluate recommendations for its routine use in clinical practice.