Researchers are always looking for new ways to help chronic pain sufferers find relief, and a new technique involving green light exposure may be beneficial, although the reason for the encouraging findings aren’t completely understood.

You may have heard how blue light exposure can reduce strain on your eyes if you work on a computer all day, but green light therapy may soon be making waves in the pain care community. According to new research, people may be able to reduce the severity and intensity of pain and headaches by wearing specific green-tinted glasses.

For the study, 34 patients with fibromyalgia were assigned glasses with different shades for four hours a day over the course of two weeks. 10 wore blue glasses, 12 wore clear glasses and 12 wore green glasses. At the end of the two-week trial patients wearing the green glasses were four times more likely than those in the other groups to report that their anxiety in regards to their pain had declined, as had their reliance on opioids. The results mimic previous studies on green light therapy, including a 2020 study that  found that migraine sufferers exposed to green light therapy saw a significant reduction in headache onset and intensity.

Why The Success?

While there is no concrete evidence as to why green light exposure may be successful in relieving pain and headaches, researchers are working on confirming a couple of theories. The first is that the green light disrupts neural pathways in the brain that are responsible for pain or headache onset. Others believe the relief could be related to the release of melanospin, a neurotransmitter in the eye that is responsible for regulating pupil dilation and contraction. Green light may be better able to trigger this neurotransmitter, which can inhibit certain pain pathways, effectively turning off pain relays.

According to researchers, not just any old green light or green-tinted glasses will do, so don’t just go out and buy the first set of green lights you see if you have chronic pain or headaches. Specific wavelengths yielded different results, so on top of figuring out exactly why green exposure may be beneficial, researchers also want to fine tune which wavelengths are the most effective. Future studies want to combine green glasses and real-time functional MRIs to better visualize possible neural pathways.

For now, the best way to treat your chronic pain issues or your frequent migraines is to connect with a chronic pain specialist like Dr. Cohn, but don’t be surprised if you hear more about green light therapy or similar passive techniques as a compliment to traditional approaches in the near future. For more information about overcoming your chronic pain condition, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at (952) 738-4580.