I have clinical depression and vision issues, and i assure you that October- November-ish have been strong trigger times. My doctor, upon hearing how I don’t want to futz around with whole spectrum lamps, suggested that I simply sign up for tanning sessions.
I also have a licensed service dog; wherever I go, he goes, with brief exceptions.
So, two questions
I’ve taken the dog twice to the small room with the full-body sarcophagus thing. He lies down on the floor next to me for the 8-minute (eventually 12-minute) sun bath. The bed closes down on you except for an inch or so along its edge, and some radiation “leaks” out.
Will this fuck up my dog’s eyes? I don’t have the radiation out put or the appropriate dimensions–tell me exactly what data I should get back to you with, which I presume you need.
I’ve asked two managers from my place, and they have no clue, offering some obviously made-up answers.
That’s why I thought a physicist could at least offer me a sense of what parameters to give perhaps to some dog opthamologists–you can find any specialty you want here.
This actually is a serious issue. Perhaps a dog optho. has explored this already.
Well, the CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation) which is a group of veterinary ophthalmologists who check dog’s eyes for hereditary & non-hereditary conditions (typically for dogs used for breeding) is actually conducting free examinations for service dogs this year. The 2011 clinic is closed/full but there is another one at a later date.
So if it’s still a concern at that time you could possibly go that route, or even email CERF ad ask if there is any research pertinent to your inquiry.
Maybe you should ask a vet, my non-vet gut reactions is that dogs are smart enough to avoid looking at things that hurt their eyes, and UV light makes my eyes ache a little bit. Dogs aren’t as fascinated by visual stimuli as we are, interesting smells are a different story. On the other hand a service dog may be so dedicated to you he would just stare at the last spot he saw you. Maybe the service dog trainers would have some insights on service dogs in hazardous situations.
Good for you for thinking about your dog. I’ve been to a tanning bed once in my life many, many years ago. They gave me goggles for my eyes. Could you get a pair for your dog and have him wear them while you tan?
Next best thing would be to down/stay him just outside of the tanning bed area, with a strict do not touch the dog order for both staff and other patrons. Could you get the salon staff on side to ensure that no one bothers him?
Tanning beds put out ultraviolet light. If your dog leaves his eyes open he’s at risk for developing cataracts. If he closes his eyes then the UV rays will be absorbed by his eyelids, but I don’t know that I would trust him to always close his eyes even if it seems like he does it most of the time.
It doesn’t take much to block UV. Most things that block visible light also block UV. As was already mentioned you can get doggy goggles, or just put up some kind of barrier between the dog and the tanning bed. A curtain or a changing room screen or anything along those lines would be more than adequate.
Regarding SAD, you might want to look into the Valkee - basically a pair of white light LEDs you stick in your ears for 8 minutes a day, to stimulate the brain with light. It is a registered medical device in some countries, and is claimed to be very effective.
I’ve seen service dogs trained to do amazing things. Could you train him to close eyes on command and then open them on command? (Sort of like “Speak!” “No speak!”)
How the hell can light reach your brain via the ears? The inner and middle ear is embedded in the temporal bone. So there’s a whole lot of complicated skull structure that’s between the ear LEDs and the brain. It’s not like your ear drum is a window directly to the brain.
I never heard of anybody getting a tan by standing next to a tanning bed so I suspect that a dogs exposure to UV rays would be quite minimal unless you let him lay his head in your lap.
