I’m the Red Light Display concierge. First session is usually a 15-minute full-screen session — sit about 6 inches if comfortable (or 30 cm / 18 in), brightness 100%, Night Shift, True Tone, and Invert Colors off. If you need to keep working, use the red filter instead. I will not diagnose or treat anything. When you’re ready, go to /download.
Right there on the practice. Honest on the physics.
Industry target
Photobiomodulation papers (Zein / Selting / Hamblin; de Freitas & Hamblin) treat 600–700 nm visible red — often 660 nm — and 780–1100 nm near infrared as the windows. Dermatologic LEDs are often 20–60 mW/cm². Fluence is often 4–10 J/cm². Consumer products run 10–20 minutes at close range. The outcome literature is mixed. Dedicated devices are not uniformly proven either.
This Mac
Display P3 red primary xy (0.680, 0.320), published dominant wavelength 614.9 nm — inside the 600–700 nm window, not a 660 nm LED. Liquid Retina XDR: 600 / 1000 / 1600 nits. No 850 nm. ≈0.2–0.3 mW/cm² at the glass as full-field red (calculated, not measured); ≈0.11 mW/cm² at 6 in; ≈0.05 mW/cm² at 30 cm. 15 min at 6 in ≈0.10 J/cm² — about 1/40 of 4 J/cm².
Coverage is a face-sized ~16 in field — much larger than a $45 ~13 sq in bulb or a $23 USB lamp. The 15-minute session and the red filter are how we run the industry clock.
Why the cheap aisle is the bar
Amazon and Walmart already sell $23–45 lamps as red light therapy with timers, 6–18 inch folklore, and the same line we use: “Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” 10–15 minutes, sit 6–18 inches, daily, visible red, same wellness disclaimer. We do not claim this Mac beats a measured 50+ mW/cm² panel on irradiance.
- The $23–45 Amazon/Walmart aisle is already sold as “red light therapy” with timers, hang-distance folklore, and the same “not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease” line we use.
- We match that session recipe: 10–15 minutes, sit 6–18 inches, daily, visible red — the Hooga HG24 protocol, not a clinic protocol.
- A 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR class panel is a face-sized field, much larger than a $23 USB 96-LED lamp or a $45 ~13 sq in bulb.
- The Mac gives a controlled full-field Maximum Red (Display P3, published dominant 614.9 nm in the 600–700 nm window) instead of an unmeasured USB or hang lamp with no drive software.
- We do not claim this display beats a measured 50+ mW/cm² panel (Bestqool ~51.7, Mito/Joovv ~56–73) on irradiance. The ≈0.2–0.3 mW/cm² glass figure is calculated, not measured.
Cheap aisle — sold as red light therapy
| Device | Price | Irradiance | Recipe |
|---|---|---|---|
| USB 5V 96-LED 660 nm lamp | ~$22.90 | No irradiance published | Wellness folklore: sit close, minutes on a timer. No official protocol published with the listing. |
| 45W 225-LED 660/850 hang panel | ~$39 | No irradiance published | Hang ~30 cm. Category clones say 10–25 min. No spectrometer. |
| Hooga HG24 | ~$45 | Brand claim 80 mW/cm² at 6 in — unverified. Cheap-aisle pattern is ~half of claims. We do not treat 80 as measured. | Official: 2–15 min, 6–18 inches, daily. |
| Walmart floor / Rebelduck lamps | ~$50–60 | No irradiance published | Sit in front of the lamp. No spectrometer, no published fluence. |
| This Mac (Liquid Retina XDR class) | Hardware you own · free session / $9.99 Pro | ≈0.2–0.3 mW/cm² at the glass as full-field red (calculated, not measured); ≈0.11 mW/cm² at 6 in; ≈0.05 mW/cm² at 30 cm. 15 min at 6 in ≈0.10 J/cm² — about 1/40 of 4 J/cm². | 15-min flagship (also 10 / 20). Sit 6–18 inches. Daily. Red filter while you work. |
The first cheap-ish device with a real measurement
Bestqool Pro100 ($250–350): 51.7 mW/cm² average at 6 in (65 peak, 9-point). Light Therapy Insiders. Only cheap-ish device with a real measurement. That is the irradiance class we refuse to pretend a laptop matches.
What we claim
- The app runs the industry session lengths and the closest visible red this panel can emit.
- It shows the target-versus-this-display numbers instead of hiding the gap.
- It matches the cheap-aisle practice already sold as red light therapy: 10–15 minutes, 6–18 inches, daily, visible red, same disclaimer.
What we do not claim
- A measured 660 nm or 850 nm peak.
- A confirmed 20–60 mW/cm² at your face.
- That we beat Bestqool / Mito / Joovv on irradiance.
- That red light therapy treats or cures a disease — on a panel or a laptop.
We get as close as the hardware allows and we ship it.
Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.