UK – A new study, published in the journal Brain, shows that exposure to green light can help those who suffer from headaches or migraines and post-traumatic headache.

The researchers from Harvard Medical School discovered that “pure green light waves” help alleviate sensitivity to light, called photophobia, and can reduce the intensity of headaches.

The researchers said more than 80 percent of migraine sufferers are experiencing photophobia, so many people suppress it by isolating themselves in a dark room and can not perform daily activities.

“Their inability to endure seeing the light most often makes them inactive,” said Rami Burstein, lead author and Professor of Anesthesia at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School.

For this study, the migraine sufferers were asked to report how the effects of color and light intensity are different to their headaches.

In the light level as in the office in general, patients reported only light green light that does not make their headaches worse. Other source of light like blue, yellow and red, made worsen their headaches.

The researchers said patients reported that the green light reduces the intensity of their pain by about 20 percent. The reason: the green light creates electrical signals generated at least by the retina of the eye and the brain cortex.

Burstein hopes that the patient can immediately feel the immediate benefit of this finding. He also tried to design economical light bulbs to emit “pure green light at low intensity” and sunglasses that can block all light other than green.

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