COCOA BEACH, Fla. – You’re rollin’ towards the coast in your 5.0, and you continue to A1A, “Beachfront Avenue,” and there it is.
No, not Vanilla Ice, but a weird red light beaming from the ninth floor of the Cape Royal Office Condominium on North Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach.
You think it’s strange, but forget about it until your next visit to the Space Coast — and there it is again.
You think, “Does it ever turn off?” “Is there a lizard person slowly gaining its superpowers up there?” “What the heck is it?”
Well, no, it’s really a longevity lab, according to Alesis Medical Managing Director Terry Ward.
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Originally founded as Ward Photonics by his daughter in 2013, it closed in 2023, and its business assets were acquired by Photonica USA, LLC. Terry Ward said.
“Photonica USA has an amazing new product for sleep medicine, otolaryngology, and pulmonology specialists,” Ward told News 6.
In what Ward described as the longevity test, the red light has been on continuously since July 1, 2013 — over 114,000 hours — except for power outages from hurricanes.
“Alesis OSA1, my most recent invention, builds on UltraSlim and its 11 patents in 31 countries, to locally reduce the excess fat accumulations that are the root cause of obstructive sleep apnea,” Ward said.
According to Ward, the red light is a “localized fat treatment” that helps treat obstructive sleep apnea using a 12-minute exposure of the light to the neck, face, and chest.
But does it work?
Ward said it does. He claims the light helps users lose weight since excessive fat accumulation affecting the upper airway is the root cause of obstructive sleep apnea.
According to Ward, the technology is U.S. Food & Drug Administration “cleared” for use in medical clinics, meaning that a product poses a low risk to the public; it is a different distinction that being FDA “approved.” You can read about the various FDA classifications here.
So, next time you’re in Cocoa Beach, look up, you may see a rocket launch or Ward’s red light beaming.