Laughter exercises found to be as effective as artificial tears for dry eye relief
Laughter exercises, intended to engage facial muscles, are as effective as artificial tears in reducing symptoms of dry eye disease, according to a study.
The non-inferiority randomized controlled trial involved 299 participants aged 18-45 years with moderate dry eye symptoms. Participants were divided into 2 groups: one performed laughter exercises, while the other used 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid eye drops (artificial tears) 4 times daily over 8 weeks.
In this study, laughter exercises involved participants rhythmically vocalizing specific sounds and phrases to simulate laughter. The phrases used were “Hee hee hee, hah hah hah, cheese cheese cheese, cheek cheek cheek, hah hah hah hah hah hah,” repeated 30 times in a 5-minute session. This exercise was intended to engage facial muscles and promote a sense of laughter, which might contribute to improving eye comfort and tear stability.
The primary outcome measured the change in the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, where higher scores reflect greater discomfort. Results showed that both the laughter exercise group and the control group had similar reductions in OSDI scores, supporting the non-inferiority of laughter exercises. The laughter exercise group also saw better improvement in tear film stability, with no significant adverse events reported in either group.
Reference
Li J, Liao Y, Zhang SY, et al. Effect of laughter exercise versus 0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid on ocular surface discomfort in dry eye disease: non-inferiority randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2024;386:e080474. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080474. PMID: 39260878.
