Laughter may help dry eyes as much as eye drops

Change is the only constant in life – except for blinking, of course. And for the 360 million people living with dry eye disease (DED), those constant blinks can be pure agony.

But what if the cure for dry eyes was as simple as sharing a good belly laugh through laughter therapy?

Healing power of laughter

Scientific studies have long endorsed laughter therapy as a potent remedy, particularly for patients dealing with depression, stress, anxiety, and chronic pain.

The healing effects of laughter have been observed in patients with diverse medical conditions such as mental health disorders, cancer, and diabetes.

However, a clinical trial from China recently published by The BMJ unearthed something more profound: laughter therapy might also hold the cure for DED.

Dry eye disease

Dry eye disease can make your eyes feel as scratchy as a cat’s tongue. It can paint your whites an irritated red and make you wish you could shower your eyes in rejuvenating eye drops just to get some relief.

If you’ve ever suffered from a case of DED, you know it’s no walk in the park.

Laughter for treating dry eyes

Experts from China and the UK embarked on a journey to investigate the effectiveness and safety of laughter exercises in patients struggling with DED symptoms.

“With the population aging, video display terminal use increasing, and air pollution, the global prevalence of dry eye disease has risen sharply, affecting approximately 360 million individuals,” noted the researchers.

The trial involved 283 participants, aged between 18-45 years, with an average age of 29 years (74% female). The participants were split into two groups: one group practiced laughter exercises while the other applied 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid eye drops four times a day, both for eight weeks.

The researchers ensured all participants had no existing eye conditions, and recent contact lens wearers or DED treatment users were excluded from the study.

Glimpse into the laughter exercise

The idea of laughter being a workout might coax a smirk onto your face, but it’s no laughing matter (pun intended).

The participants in the smiling group were asked to watch an instructional video and vocalize phrases like “Hee hee hee, hah hah hah, cheese cheese cheese, cheek cheek cheek, hah hah hah hah hah hah,” 30 times over a five-minute session.

They used a face recognition mobile app to track these laughter workouts and enhance their facial movements.

Eye drops: The control experiment

On the other hand, the second group treated their eyes with 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid eye drops four times a day, for the same span of eight weeks.

Eye drops are typically the go-to remedy for combating DED’s scratchy, irritating symptoms. This group also used the same app to keep tabs on their usage frequency.

Tears of laughter for dry eyes

After both treatments were stopped at eight weeks, the researchers observed that the average OSDI (ocular surface disease index) score in the laughter group was 10.5 points lower, indicating less discomfort. The eye drop group, in contrast, scored 8.83 points lower.

Laughter exercise was not only as effective as traditional eye drops but also showed noticeable improvements in non-invasive tear break up time (the time taken for the first hint of dryness to appear on the cornea after a blink), meibomian gland function (oil glands that prevent tears from drying up too soon), and mental health scores.

What makes this discovery even more exciting is that there were no adverse events reported in either study group.

Laughter and dry eye symptoms

The researchers acknowledged some limitations that could have influenced the results, but they firmly believe that laughter exercise has the potential to improve DED symptoms substantially.

“As a safe, environmentally friendly, and low-cost intervention, laughter exercise could serve as a first-line, home-based treatment for people with symptomatic dry eye disease and limited corneal staining,” the authors noted.

So next time you’re feeling the scratch, why not put on your favorite sitcom or call that friend who never fails to make you laugh?

The study is published in the journal The BMJ.

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