Green Light for Post-Operative Wellness

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Surgery

In brief

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.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07218289

Run by

Rebecca E Kotcher, MD

People needed

60

Starts

2026-01-14

Expected to finish

2026-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-12

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• 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

You may not qualify if…

• 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

Where it is running

• UPMC Shadyside Hospital — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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