Green Light for Post-Operative Wellness

Green Light Therapy to Reduce Pain and Promote Wellness After Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Adult Post-Operative Patients

This is an unblinded, parallel group randomized controlled trial to evaluate bright green light as an adjunct therapy after surgery at UPMC Shadyside. The primary outcome measure will be pain intensity with secondary outcome measures including opioid requirements, sleep quality, mood, and overall post-operative recovery. Specific aims/hypotheses for this study are as follows:

Aim 1: To assess bright green light therapy's potential as a complementary post-operative analgesic strategy in patients recovering from surgery Hypothesis 1: Participants exposed to bright green light, in comparison to dim white (ambient) light, will have improved postoperative pain scores and lower opioid use.

Aim 2: To examine the impact of bright green light therapy on patient-centered measures of post-operative recovery that may be related to improved circadian function.

Hypothesis 2: Participants exposed to bright green light, in comparison to dim white (ambient) light, will have improved quality of post-operative recovery, enhanced sleep, and reduced anxiety and depression.

This research study is being done to evaluate the use of light therapy following surgery at UPMC Shadyside Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA). Light therapy after surgery may reduce pain and pain medication requirements, and it may improve sleep, mood, and overall post-surgery recovery. The proposed study design of a randomized controlled trial investigates the use of bright green light therapy for post-operative pain management and wellness.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age >/= 18 years
• Planned to undergo laparoscopic or robotic surgery at UPMC Shadyside Hospital
• Anticipated post-operative length of stay >/= 48 hours
• Able to speak and read English fluently, with the capacity to provide informed consent and complete the associated surveys independently

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy

• History of significant ocular issues/dysfunction (†‡ ) (e.g., glaucoma, ocular trauma, macular degeneration, cataracts) that would interfere with the ocular mechanism of action

• History of significant neurological disease (‡) (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, neurodegenerative disease) that would compromise the reliability of pain screening and/or interfere with the central mechanism of action

• History of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, which could increase the risk of an adverse reaction to light exposure (i.e., acute mania)

• History of splenectomy, which would interfere with the mechanism of action

  • Ocular issues corrected with contact lenses or spectacle corrective eyeglasses will NOT be considered a criterion for exclusion ‡Unclear cases will be at the discretion of the PI