Green light and migraine: what the 2016 Harvard study found

Updated 2026-11-02

Quick answerIn a 2016 study in Brain led by Rodrigo Noseda and Rami Burstein, 41 patients rated light during migraine attacks. Narrow-band green light (530 nm) worsened headache significantly less than white, blue, amber or red; at low intensity it reduced pain in about 20% of patients. A green-tinted screen is not narrow-band light.

Study details

  • 69 patients enrolled; 41 completed testing during untreated attacks.
  • Light was shown in a full-field dome from 1 to 100 cd/m² (100 is like a normally lit office).
  • Green was 530 ± 10 nm. At low intensity (1–5 cd/m²) it reduced pain in about 20% of patients, by up to about 15%.
  • Retina and cortex responses were smallest for green; thalamic neurons in rats responded least to green.
  • A 2026 study by Fani, Sharp and Schwedt found green-enriched white room light the least uncomfortable in 20 adults with migraine.

What it means for screens

  • Screens mix red, green and blue sub-pixels; a green tint is not the same stimulus.
  • Migraine Mode's default Soft green tint is based on these studies; it has not itself been tested.

FAQ

Does green light cure migraine?

No. The study found green light worsened headache less than other colors, and at low intensity reduced pain in about 20% of patients, by up to about 15%.

Who ran the green light study?

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, led by Rami Burstein, with Rodrigo Noseda as first author.

Sources

  • Noseda R, … Burstein R. Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways. Brain, 2016. Link
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Exposure to narrow band of green light improves migraine symptoms (press release), 2016. Link
  • Fani M, Sharp N, Schwedt TJ, et al. Reducing light sensitivity during and between migraine attacks: a prospective study investigating spectral tuning of white light. Cephalalgia 2026. Link
  • Martin LF, Patwardhan AM, Jain SV, et al. Evaluation of green light exposure on headache frequency and quality of life in migraine patients: a preliminary one-way cross-over clinical trial. Cephalalgia 2021;41(2):135–147. Link

Not a medical device and not medical advice. Migraine Mode is a screen-comfort tool: it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine or any other condition, and it does not replace a doctor. Its settings are based on studies of light, colour, flicker, patterns and motion; the extension itself has not been clinically tested. When to see a doctor.