Exposure to opioid analgesics during medical care is a key driver of the opioid epidemic. Such exposures are widespread. Reducing clinical opioid exposures is crucial for the prevention of drug abuse. Yet opioids remain essential first-line agents in treating pain, and it remains vital that pain be appropriately managed. Non-opioid pain treatments help to resolve the opioid/pain conflict. This project will examine the opioid-sparing and pain-relieving potential of a novel, non-pharmacological treatment for pain. Recent pre-clinical work has identified an anti-nociceptive effect of green light. Visually- mediated cognitive and biological effects of specific color-ranges of light are broadly recognized in areas of affect and circadian rhythm. Similar effects on pain perception are less understood. We will conduct a pilot trial of the potential for green-spectrum light exposure as an opioid-sparing analgesic adjunct.
We will conduct a pilot trial testing the potential opioid-sparing analgesic effect of a novel non-pharmacological treatment which uses commodity eyeglasses to modify the visualized light spectrum. Preclinical findings have shown such treatments to alter pain perception. Our overall goal is to reduce opioid exposures in clinical care.
