Laughter: The Surprising Cure for Dry Eye Disease! Discover How Smiling Can Heal Your Eyes!
Laughter Helps Treat Dry Eye Disease
Scientists Find Laughter Helps Treat Dry Eye Disease
Researchers propose that this could represent the first effective remedy for mitigating dry eye disease symptoms. A clinical trial conducted in China, and published in The BMJ, reveals that laughter may rival eye drops in alleviating the discomfort associated with this condition.
The study suggests that laughter exercises might serve as a preliminary therapy for relieving dry eye disease symptoms.
Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic ailment impacting an estimated 360 million people globally. Its common manifestations include irritation, redness, and a scratchy sensation in the eyes.
There is compelling evidence indicating that laughter therapy can reduce depression, anxiety, stress, and chronic pain, while simultaneously boosting immune function. It is recognized as a valuable complementary treatment for various chronic diseases, such as mental health disorders, cancer, and diabetes. However, its potential benefits for dry eye disease have yet to be thoroughly investigated.
Laughter Helps Treat Dry Eye Disease: Study Design and Methods
To delve deeper, a collaborative effort between researchers in China and the UK sought to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of laughter exercises for individuals experiencing dry eye symptoms.
The study involved 283 participants aged 18 to 45 (mean age 29; 74% female), who were evaluated using the ocular surface disease index (OSDI). The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one group engaged in laughter exercises, while the other used 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid eye drops four times daily over an eight-week period.
Exclusion criteria included participants with pre-existing eye conditions, recent eye injuries, infections, allergies, contact lens use, or any dry eye treatments.
Laughter Helps Treat Dry Eye Disease: Treatment Details
The laughter exercise group viewed an instructional video and practiced vocalizing and repeating phrases like “Hee hee hee, hah hah hah, cheese cheese cheese, cheek cheek cheek, hah hah hah hah hah hah” 30 times during each five-minute session. A face recognition app ensured uniformity in the facial movements and exercises.
Meanwhile, the control group applied 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid eye drops to both eyes four times daily, also tracking their application via the app.
After eight weeks, both treatments ceased, and changes in ocular surface discomfort were assessed at weeks 10 and 12.
The laughter exercise group showed an average decrease in OSDI scores by 10.5 points, while the control group saw a reduction of 8.83 points, with a mean difference of −1.45 points. This suggests that laughter exercises were not less effective than eye drops in reducing symptoms.
Additionally, laughter exercises yielded significant improvements in non-invasive tear break-up time (the interval before the first dry spot appears on the cornea after a blink), meibomian gland function (the oil glands that slow tear evaporation), and mental health scores. Notably, no adverse effects were reported in either group.
Study Limitations and Conclusion
While the authors acknowledged certain limitations that may have influenced their findings, they concluded that laughter exercise was comparable to 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid in alleviating symptoms and clinical signs of dry eye disease.
They further emphasized that laughter exercise, being safe, eco-friendly, and cost-effective, could serve as an accessible, home-based, first-line treatment for individuals suffering from symptomatic dry eye disease with minimal corneal staining.
Reference
Jing Li, Yinglin Liao, Shi-Yao Zhang, Ling Jin, Nathan Congdon, Zixin Fan, Yangfa Zeng, Yingfeng Zheng, Zuguo Liu, Yizhi Liu, and Lingyi Liang. “Effect of laughter exercise versus 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid on ocular surface discomfort in dry eye disease: non-inferiority randomized controlled trial.” The BMJ, September 11, 2024. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080474.
