Light therapy wearable
A wearable for providing light therapy to a wearer includes at least one fabric panel having an inner surface that when the wearable is worn is configured to face a wearer's skin and at least one side-emitting optical fiber affixed to the inner surface. The side-emitting optical fiber is optically connectable with an optical fiber light source and configured to project light having a therapeutic wavelength toward a wearer of the wearable. When affixed to the fabric panel, the side-emitting optical fiber can have a length in meters based on the optical power launched into the side-emitting optical fiber and the average attenuation of the side-emitting optical fiber.
1. A wearable for providing light therapy to a wearer of the wearable, the wearable comprising:
at least one fabric panel having an inner surface that when the wearable is worn is configured to face a wearer's skin;
at least one optical fiber light source configured to project light having a therapeutic wavelength; and
at least one side-emitting optical fiber on the inner surface, the at least one side-emitting optical fiber being optically connected with the at least one optical fiber light source and configured to project light having the therapeutic wavelength toward a wearer of the wearable, the at least one side-emitting optical fiber having a total length in meters based on (1) a ratio of a calculated minimum optical power of light remaining in the at least one side-emitting optical fiber at a particular location along the length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to a calculated maximum optical power of light remaining in the at least one side-emitting optical fiber at another location along the length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber and (2) an average attenuation of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber, as expressed by the following formula:
P
(
l
)
=
P
0
(
1
0
-
α
1
0
l
+
1
0
-
α
1
0
(
L
-
l
)
)
where P(l) refers to the calculated optical power, which is measured in Watts, of light remaining in the optical fiber at length l, P 0 refers to the initial optical power launched in the optical fiber and L is the total length of the at least one optical fiber, such that the total length is expressed by the following formula:
L
>
0
.
4
6
α
where α is the average attenuation for the therapeutic wavelength and L is the total length of the at least one optical fiber.
2. The wearable of claim 1 , wherein the at least one side-emitting optical fiber is embroidered to the at least one fabric panel.
3. The wearable of claim 1 , wherein the at least one side-emitting optical fiber is adhered to the inner surface.
4. The wearable of claim 1 , wherein the at least one side-emitting optical fiber is routed through a tunnel.
5. The wearable of claim 4 , wherein the tunnel includes a fabric layer sewn or affixed to the at least one fabric panel.
6. The wearable of claim 1 , wherein each end of the at least one optical fiber is optically connected with the at least one optical fiber light source.
7. A method of making a wearable for providing light therapy to a wearer of the wearable, the method comprising:
providing at least one fabric panel having an inner surface that when the wearable is worn is configured to face a wearer's skin;
retaining a predetermined length (L) in meters of at least one side-emitting optical fiber to the inner surface; and
optically connecting the at least one side-emitting optical fiber with at least one optical fiber light source configured to launch light having a therapeutic wavelength into each end of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber,
wherein the predetermined length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber is determined based on (1) a ratio of a calculated minimum optical power of light remaining in the at least one side-emitting optical fiber at a particular location along the length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to a calculated maximum optical power of light remaining in the at least one side-emitting optical fiber at another location along the length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber and (2) an average attenuation of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber such that the predetermined length is expressed by the following formula:
L
>
0
.
4
6
α
.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the ratio defines an efficiency that is proportional to the amount of light that escapes the at least one side-emitting optical fiber.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein retaining the predetermined length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to the inner surface is provided by embroidering the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to the inner surface.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein retaining the predetermined length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to the inner surface is provided by adhering the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to the inner surface.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein retaining the predetermined length of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber to the inner surface is provided by positioning the at least one side-emitting optical fiber in a tunnel.
12. The method of claim 7 , optically connecting the at least one side-emitting optical fiber with at least one optical fiber light source includes optically connecting each end of the at least one side-emitting optical fiber with at least one optical fiber light source.