Treatment Considerations for Photobiomodulation for Retinal Disease

Careful patient evaluation will help identify best candidates.

By: Mohammad Bagher Rajabi, MD, Gunjan Awatramani, Alan Sherif, Gunay Uludag Kirimli, MD, Ingrid U. Scott, MD, MPH, Diana V. Do, MD

Ophthalmology Management August 24, 2026

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Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a light therapy investigated for retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR).
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The Valeda Light Delivery System is the first PBM device approved by the FDA for treating early-to-intermediate nonexudative AMD to improve visual acuity.
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The LIGHTSITE III trial showed over 60% of PBM-treated patients experienced improvement in vision after 2 years compared to baseline.
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PBM is noninvasive, takes about 4 minutes per eye, and does not require pupillary dilation or topical anesthesia for treatment.
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Ongoing research is expected to enhance patient selection criteria and improve long-term safety and efficacy data for PBM in retinal disorders.

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