phototherapy

[foh-tuh-ther-uh-pee]

noun

1. treatment of disease, especially of the skin, by means of light rays.

2. light therapy.

phototherapy

/ ˌfəʊtəʊˈθɛrəpɪ, ˌfəʊtəʊˌθɛrəˈpjuːtɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the use of light in the treatment of disease

Other Word Forms

• phototherapeutic adjective
• phototherapeutically adverb
• phototherapic adjective
• phototherapist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of phototherapy¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; photo- + therapy

Example Sentences

A special home phototherapy device to treat psoriasis is as effective as going to a doctor’s office for the therapy, according to research funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The most commonly used ones - phototherapy, tacrolimus and topical corticosteroids - can all have their downsides.

Read more on BBC

And it shows that “understanding the detailed mechanisms at the atomic and molecular level should, in the future, help researchers find solutions in emerging biomedical applications—including smart drug delivery, nuclear magnetic imaging and phototherapy.”

Read more on Scientific American

Hydrotherapy and phototherapy, too, were traditional, asylum-based treatments for hysteria and other mental maladies that Freud, like all practitioners of his generation, was well aware of.

Read more on Salon

Light therapy, also called phototherapy, is when you sit a few feet from a special light box which exposes you to a bright light within the first hour of being awake.

Read more on Salon