How Does Green Light Relieve Migraine Headache Pain?

Prof. Mohab Ibrahim Describes His Experiments in Green Phototherapy

University of Arizona Professor Mohab Ibrahim has discovered that green light exposure through the eyes will relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

The Cost of Pain

Pain imposes a staggering economic burden in the United States, surpassing the cost of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Traditional pain management relies on pharmacological interventions that modulate the brain's pain centers or nervous system. However, University of Arizona Professor Moham Ibrahim points out that many patients prefer to avoid taking drugs.

Green Light Provides Pain Relief Without Drugs

In animal models, clinical trials, and case studies, Ibrahim has demonstrated that green light phototherapy provides surprising, non-pharmacological analgesic effects -- especially for relief of migraine headache pain. According to Ibrahim, the optic nerve provides an entry point to brain areas involved in pain regulation.

Independent studies from other researchers, including Harvard University where the migraine relief discovery was first made by Professor Rami Burstien's group. have corroborated Ibrahim's results. However, only Ibrahim has documented a case study in relief of fibromyalgia pain.

In the fibromyalgia trial, patients reported baseline pain scores of 8-9 on a 0-10 scale. White light exposure (control) yielded no change, but green light reduced pain intensity by nearly 50%. Similar outcomes emerged in the migraine group: white light produced a statistically significant but clinically negligible drop, while green light markedly decreased headache intensity. Beyond pain relief, green light enhanced functional outcomes—improved sleep quality, increased exercise capacity, better work performance, reduced pain episode frequency and flare-ups. Notably, participants expressed greater enthusiasm for daily activities, including household chores, reflecting restored normalcy.

Green Reduces Inflammation

When penetrating the skin, green light reduces inflammation. This may explain how green light on the abdomen might relieve the pain of menstrual cramps, as recent reported by one of our customers.

Avoid Blue Light at Night

Ibrahim's research also revealed that blue light is effective for pain relief, but he doesn't recommend blue. Despite blue's analgesic potential, it disrupts sleep by phase-shifting melatonin release from the pineal gland, delaying onset (e.g., from 10 p.m. to midnight). This exacerbates the pain-sleep vicious cycle common in chronic pain.