why do doctors wear green in the operation theatre?

Answer 1

There are a couple of answers to your question. The first part is that OR "scrubs" are just a layer of disposable clothing that goes on UNDER the sterile layer, and their color is not important. Hospitals contract with distributors for these, and get whatever color they want. I've seen green, brown, burgundy, cobalt blue, teal (light blue), and even ones where the size was color coded. However, women aren't typically fond of having their scrub size projected all the way down the length of a hall based on color coded sizes!

OR sterile gowns and sterile drapes are commonly made of disposable material, typically a tough paper-like product with plastic/water repellant properties. These are usually a light or medium blue color. Few hospitals still use cloth gowns or drapes because the cleaning and restocking costs are not significant savings over using one-time disposable products that can be stored sterile.

These sterile barriers are blue for a couple of reasons. First of all, as someone mentioned above, this is easier on the eyes. That is actually correct. The surgical field is hotly illuminated so that the deep dark hole that we're working in can be properly seen. If the other things in the visual field are also brightly colored, then our eyes won't be able to adjust to focus down in the surgical field. Try reading a book with the light bulb of your reading lamp in your view. You won't be able to see, even though the book is well lit. When you read, you want the book to be bright, and you want the lightbulb out of view. When I'm operating, I want the surgical field to be bright, and I want the edges of the field and the drapes and my arms to be relatively dim and unobtrusive.

Another reason that the sterile field drapes and gowns are blue is to designate where things are sterile and where they are not. If you are not in sterile attire, stay away from the blue stuff. If you are sterile, only touch blue. This is really a big deal. If there are violations of the sterile field or of sterile technique, the statistical risk of infection goes way up. An operation where sterile technique is breached has been "contaminated". This is bad for patient safety. We take it seriously.

I hope that answers your question!

Feel free to contact me if there are further questions.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I have heard the reason is so that after peering into red wounds, when they look up, they don't see the reverse color (which would be green).

Have you ever done the optical illusion where you stare at an oddly colored picture for a minute, then stare at a white wall and you see a normal colored image? It's like that.

The ORs I work in now use light blue though. It's the color that the disposable gown people make them. And most OR walls that I've seen are no longer that ugly green either.

Answer 4

The sight of red stains of blood over white didn't go well with many doctors. Because red blood looks garish and revolting splashed all over green and would perturb them psychologically. By the 1950s, white gave way to shades of green, which produced lesser eye fatigue besides providing a better contrast in the environment. -

Answer 5

They used to wear white colored uniform. But white is too glaring and makes eyes too tired under bright light for surgeons and nurses in operation theatre.

Furthermore blood(red) looks terrible on white robes.

Therefore green or blue uniform was implemented.

Simply put as this way.

Answer 6

I think that's the color they just happened to make the OR scrubs. However, the docs I work for wear Ceil Blue OR scrubs at one hospital and the ugly green at the other.

Answer 7

Blood stains look really bad on white. Green provides a better contrast.

Answer 8

They use to wear white. So if it is dirty it showed, now they wear single light colour, blueish green and pinks some times.

Answer 9

green colour helps rode and cones of retina

Answer 10

because they like green