Recruiting

Bright Green Light

Sponsor:

Rebecca E Kotcher, MD

Code:

NCT07218289

Conditions

Surgery

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Bright Green Light Therapy

Dim White Light Therapy

Study Details

Brief summary:

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.

Conditions

Surgery

Study ID

NCT07218289

Start date

Jan 14, 2026

Status verified date

Dec, 2025

Completion date

Dec 1, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 1, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

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

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Bright Green Light Exposure Arm

Subjects randomized to this group will be exposed to bright green light via the Day Light Classic Plus light therapy lamp fitted with an appropriate color filter. The light will be administered for 4 hours daily for up to three days post-operatively while the subject is in the hospital.

active comparator: Dim White Light Exposure Arm

Subjects randomized to this group will be exposed to dim white light via the Day Light Classic Plus light therapy lamp fitted with an appropriate color filter. The light will be administered for 4 hours daily for up to three days post-operatively while the subject is in the hospital.

Interventions

Bright Green Light Therapy

Day Light Classic Plus light therapy lamp with filter to yield bright green light.

Dim White Light Therapy

Day Light Classic Plus light therapy lamp with filter to yield dim white light.

Primary outcome measure

  • Incisional Pain Intensity with Movement [ Time Frame: Post-Operative Day 2 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Amy Monroe, MPH, MBA

412-623-6382monroeal@upmc.edu

Dayana Alsamsam, BSPS, MSc

alsamsamd@upmc.edu

Locations

UPMC Shadyside Hospital

Recruiting

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15232

Contacts

Amy Monroe, MPH, MBA

412-623-6382monroeal@upmc.edu

Dayana Alsamsam, BSPS,MSc

412-623-4147alsamsamd@upmc.edu

Principal Investigator:

Rebecca Kotcher, MD

More Information

Sponsor

Rebecca E Kotcher, MD

Last update posted

Feb 12, 2026

Last verified

Dec, 2025

Keywords

  • light therapy
  • post-operative pain
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • post-operative recovery

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Rebecca E Kotcher, MD on 2026-02-12.