Can a light bulb dial down chronic pain?
NCT ID NCT07825792
First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are testing whether daily exposure to S-cone stimulating colored light can reduce pain severity and pain sensitivity in adults with fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain and fatigue. Participants use programmed light bulbs at home for 2 hours each morning over 7 days, then switch to equal-energy white light after a 1-week break. The trial measures how many participants complete the sessions and surveys, and tracks changes in pain intensity, interference, and sensitivity. This pilot crossover study aims to see if the approach is feasible and worth testing in a larger trial.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- S-cone stimulating chromatic light delivered through programmed light bulbs
- What this could lead to
- If the light approach works, it could offer a low-cost, at-home way to ease pain for people with fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain. It might also point researchers toward how specific wavelengths of light affect the nervous system.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with 40 participants, so any signal may be too weak or too variable to confirm a real benefit. Light therapy may not outperform the comparison white light, and participants might notice which light they receive despite blinding.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults ≥ 18 years of age. * Individuals who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or suffer from chronic widespread pain and fatigue. * An average pain severity ≥4 on the 0-10 NRS over the month prior to enrollment. * Pain symptoms present for 3 months or longer. * Pain must be present in 4 out of 5 body regions. * A score of ≥7 on the Widespread pain index (WPI) and ≥5 on the symptom severity scale (SSS), or 4-6 on the WPI and ≥9 on the SSS in the 2016 Fibromyalgia Questionnaire. * Willingness to adjust light levels in home environment so that the illumination (measured in lux) provided by the light bulbs is twice the ambient room illumination (also measured in lux). * Willingness to use study lightbulbs for 2 consecutive hours a day for 7 consecutive days according to study specifications for both conditions (total of 14 days using lightbulbs) * Alert and oriented, and able to provide informed consent * Ability to read and speak English to complete validated questionnaires. Exclusion Criteria: * Vision disorders or conditions resulting in severe vision impairment or blindness * Individuals with self-report of color blindness, uveitis or cataracts. * Prisoner Status * Pregnancy * History of photosensitivity or sensitivity to scintillating (mildly flickering) light. * History of seizure disorder. * Individuals living in households with people who have a history of seizure disorders. * Analgesic treatment plan changes anticipated in the next 3 months (surgery, analgesic medication changes, injections, pain procedures, etc.). * Other history or condition that would, in the investigator's judgment, indicate that the individual would highly likely be non-compliant with the study or unsuitable for the study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
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