A recent study by Montagnese & De Rui (2011) from Padova University, investigating the benefits of strong light signals administered in the morning on an 82-year-old female cirrhosis patient with a chronic tendency to sleep-wake inversion – causing both delayed wake-up time and disturbed night sleep – utilised the ‘Amadea’ wall-mounted luminaire developed by Brandon Medical’s partners, Derungs-Licht.
After chronotherapy with the polychromatic light – which is specifically designed to simulate the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle – her sleep-wake problem ‘progressively improved’. To advance her sleep-wake cycle, the lamp was set to automatically switch on at 6.30 am, and off at 10.30 pm. The Visual Timing Light provided a smooth transition from cold white light in the morning (6,500 K > 3,000K), to a mixed light at noon, and finally through to warm red enriched light in the evening (3,000 K > 6,500 K). Brandon MD, Graeme Hall, said: “The Amadea Visual Timing Light simulates a 24-hour light sequence – from sunrise to sunset.” On leaving hospital, the patient received advice on sleep and light hygiene at home, and, after four weeks, remained well, ‘with a residual tendency to delayed sleep habits, but with considerable improvements to her night sleep quality’. Reader in Medicine, Sara Montagnese, first became aware of Brandon Medical after reading an article in the Financial Times on the company’s winning of a £50,000 prize in the 2009 Chamber Awards, in the Technology Through Innovation category, for its medical lighting technology. She and her team are now interested in confirming the findings via formal clinical trials, and Brandon is keen to be involved in any further research.
