FAQShort answers to the questions people ask most.

How do I protect my eyes during NB-UVB?

Before treatment, confirm the exact eye protection your device or clinic requires. If vitiligo affects your eyelids, ask for a separate clinical plan instead of changing or removing protection yourself.

Practical snapshot

Connect the plan, the real-world burden, and the follow-up.

  1. Confirm the exact plan
  2. Prepare the routine
  3. Record what happened
  4. Know who to contact

For people considering or using clinician-directed narrowband UVB, and their caregivers

What this page helps you do

Before treatment, confirm the exact eye protection your device or clinic requires. If vitiligo affects your eyelids, ask for a separate clinical plan instead of changing or removing protection yourself.

Your task
Find the short answer, note what depends on your situation, and choose whether a conversation is needed.
The clinician boundary
A qualified clinician determines candidacy and the treatment plan. Use the exact current device instructions and contact the care team for reactions or changes; this page does not provide settings or treatment changes.

Which eye protection should I use?

Short answerUse only the eye protection approved for your exact device or by your phototherapy team. Keep it on unless that team gives you a specific plan for treating the eyelids. Evidence Evidence Evidence

More detail

The current device manual or clinical service should name the required protection. The item has to provide the documented ultraviolet protection, fit as intended, and be in usable condition.

What depends on your situation

Have the phototherapy team or device manufacturer verify the exact product and its history. Approval for one device or clinic does not automatically carry over to another, and only your treating team can decide whether an eyelid exception applies.

Can I use my own sunglasses, glasses, or goggles instead?

Short answerDo not substitute other eyewear on your own. The guideline recommends ultraviolet-protective goggles during treatment and treats alternatives as a clinical decision in limited circumstances. Evidence

More detail

Ask your phototherapy team which exact protection applies to your treatment and whether any limited exception is appropriate.

What depends on your situation

The guideline does not certify every product sold today. Product specifications and availability change.

What should I check before each use?

Short answerConfirm that you have the approved item, that it fits as instructed, and that the lenses and frame are intact. Follow the clinic or manufacturer instructions for cleaning, storage, and replacement. If the fit or condition seems wrong, pause and ask for help instead of modifying it. Evidence Evidence Evidence

More detail

Protection can depend on both the material and the fit. Current instructions—not color, price, or a seller’s category—control cleaning, inspection, storage, and replacement.

What depends on your situation

Looking at eyewear cannot measure how much ultraviolet light it blocks, and there is no universal replacement schedule. Cutting, padding, taping, or repositioning it can change the intended protection.

What if I have vitiligo on or near my eyelids?

Short answerAsk your treating clinician how the eyelid area will be handled while your eyes stay protected. Do not remove, cut, or reposition eye protection on your own. Phototherapy guidance describes limited exceptions in specific circumstances, but that is not a general instruction to try at home. Evidence Evidence

More detail

Your treating team can weigh the goal for that area against eye safety and write down exactly how the eyelids will be handled.

What depends on your situation

Ask your treating team whether your eye history, ability to keep your eyes closed, device, and treatment situation fit an exception. A guideline exception is not personal permission.

What should I do if my eyes hurt or my vision changes?

Short answerPause treatment and seek prompt help from a qualified eye or medical professional for a new eye concern. Tell your light-therapy team about eye pain, vision changes, or strong light sensitivity. Use urgent or emergency care for sudden or severe symptoms, or when your personal plan says to. Evidence Evidence

More detail

Note what happened, follow your personal action plan, and seek qualified assessment instead of testing the device or eye protection again.

What depends on your situation

A symptom appearing after treatment does not prove what caused it. An appropriate clinical assessment is needed to determine the cause and next step.

Questions that can change the next decision

  • For your clinicianWho should I contact if this happens after clinic hours?Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.

Applicability check

Who was studied?

These fields show what the cited evidence reports about the people and body sites behind outcome or safety claims. “Not reported” means the reviewed source omitted the field; “Pending exact source review” means SteadySkin has not made that determination yet.

Use only the eye protection approved for your exact device or by your phototherapy team. Keep it on unless that team gives you a specific plan for treating the eyelids.

Age range
Pending exact source review
Condition subtype
Pending exact source review
Severity or extent
Pending exact source review
Sample size
Pending exact source review
Geography and care setting
Pending exact source review
Skin tone or phototype
Pending exact source review
Race
Pending exact source review
Ethnicity
Pending exact source review
Body sites
Pending exact source review

What that means for this page: This is explicitly gated as a safety claim, but exact population extraction is still pending. It cannot publish or support an estimate of individual risk until that review is complete.

Do not substitute other eyewear on your own. The guideline recommends ultraviolet-protective goggles during treatment and treats alternatives as a clinical decision in limited circumstances.

Age range
Pending exact source review
Condition subtype
Pending exact source review
Severity or extent
Pending exact source review
Sample size
Pending exact source review
Geography and care setting
Pending exact source review
Skin tone or phototype
Pending exact source review
Race
Pending exact source review
Ethnicity
Pending exact source review
Body sites
Pending exact source review

What that means for this page: This is explicitly gated as a safety claim, but exact population extraction is still pending. It cannot publish or support an estimate of individual risk until that review is complete.

Confirm that you have the approved item, that it fits as instructed, and that the lenses and frame are intact. Follow the clinic or manufacturer instructions for cleaning, storage, and replacement. If the fit or condition seems wrong, pause and ask for help instead of modifying it.

Age range
Pending exact source review
Condition subtype
Pending exact source review
Severity or extent
Pending exact source review
Sample size
Pending exact source review
Geography and care setting
Pending exact source review
Skin tone or phototype
Pending exact source review
Race
Pending exact source review
Ethnicity
Pending exact source review
Body sites
Pending exact source review

What that means for this page: This is explicitly gated as a safety claim, but exact population extraction is still pending. It cannot publish or support an estimate of individual risk until that review is complete.

Ask your treating clinician how the eyelid area will be handled while your eyes stay protected. Do not remove, cut, or reposition eye protection on your own. Phototherapy guidance describes limited exceptions in specific circumstances, but that is not a general instruction to try at home.

Age range
Pending exact source review
Condition subtype
Pending exact source review
Severity or extent
Pending exact source review
Sample size
Pending exact source review
Geography and care setting
Pending exact source review
Skin tone or phototype
Pending exact source review
Race
Pending exact source review
Ethnicity
Pending exact source review
Body sites
Pending exact source review

What that means for this page: This is explicitly gated as a safety claim, but exact population extraction is still pending. It cannot publish or support an estimate of individual risk until that review is complete.

Pause treatment and seek prompt help from a qualified eye or medical professional for a new eye concern. Tell your light-therapy team about eye pain, vision changes, or strong light sensitivity. Use urgent or emergency care for sudden or severe symptoms, or when your personal plan says to.

Age range
Pending exact source review
Condition subtype
Pending exact source review
Severity or extent
Pending exact source review
Sample size
Pending exact source review
Geography and care setting
Pending exact source review
Skin tone or phototype
Pending exact source review
Race
Pending exact source review
Ethnicity
Pending exact source review
Body sites
Pending exact source review

What that means for this page: This is explicitly gated as a safety claim, but exact population extraction is still pending. It cannot publish or support an estimate of individual risk until that review is complete.

Evidence behind this page

Sources

Each evidence badge opens the source and its limits. The full list stays available here.

  1. Phothera PhototherapyManufacturer · not independentIndependence not established
    Published
    2026-03-03
    SteadySkin last checked
    2026-07-31
    What this source can and cannot tell you

    What this source supports

    Supports the current first-party route to Phothera device and accessory manuals and shows that instructions are model- and controller-specific.

    What it does not support

    It does not establish clinical suitability, comparative benefit, the condition of an individual unit, or that one manual applies to a related or legacy model; each exact linked manual and revision still requires verification.

    Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.

  2. Solarc Systems Inc.Manufacturer · not independentIndependence not established
    Published
    2020-09-18
    SteadySkin last checked
    2026-07-31
    What this source can and cannot tell you

    What this source supports

    Supports first-party specifications and installation, electrical, protective-equipment, maintenance, and support boundaries for the named SolRx E-Series revision.

    What it does not support

    It does not support another SolRx family, confirm that this is the newest revision for an individual unit, establish clinical suitability, or prove comparative safety or effectiveness; the owner must verify the exact current manual with Solarc.

    Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.

  3. Zerigo Health, Inc.Manufacturer · not independentIndependence not established
    Published
    2026-03-06
    SteadySkin last checked
    2026-07-31
    What this source can and cannot tell you

    What this source supports

    Supports Zerigo’s current first-party description of its United States prescription device, required mobile application, Member Guide, Care Guide support, data-enabled service model, transfer restrictions, and distinction between technical support and medical advice.

    What it does not support

    It does not independently establish comparative benefit, coverage, privacy quality, clinical suitability, or that the program terms will remain unchanged.

    Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.

  4. British Journal of Dermatology (Eleftheriadou V, et al.)Regulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
    Published
    2022-01-01
    SteadySkin last checked
    2026-07-31
    What this source can and cannot tell you

    What this source supports

    Supports the clinical history and assessment domains, evaluation of associated autoimmune conditions, its recommendation for thyroid function and antithyroid antibody screening, current classification context, treatment-option map, psychosocial assessment, medical photography and the limits of pediatric evidence.

    What it does not support

    It was designed for UK care and reviewed literature through May 2019; it does not establish a universal testing plan, prescribe an individual plan, or establish current US labeling or coverage.

    Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.

  5. British Journal of Dermatology (Goulden V, et al.)Regulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
    Published
    2022-09-01
    SteadySkin last checked
    2026-07-29
    What this source can and cannot tell you

    What this source supports

    It supports that traditional NB-UVB fluorescent lamps emit a narrow UVB band peaking around 311 nanometres, plus clinical uses, comparisons with other ultraviolet treatments, and safety boundaries including sunburn-type reactions.

    What it does not support

    It does not provide a personal treatment plan or establish any home-use setting. SteadySkin never reproduces its treatment schedules.

    Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.

  6. British Association of DermatologistsPatient education · independentIndependent source
    Published
    2022-06-01
    SteadySkin last checked
    2026-07-29
    What this source can and cannot tell you

    What this source supports

    It supports a plain-language explanation that NB-UVB uses a small part of the UVB spectrum, is used for conditions including psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo, and is distinct from sunlight or a sunbed.

    What it does not support

    It is patient education, not primary evidence for an efficacy claim. Its own review date must remain current before SteadySkin relies on it.

    Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.

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