Those suffering from dry eye disease might want to consider adding a stand-up comedy show to their calendar.
A new study suggests laughter could be just as effective as artificial tears in treating dry eyes.
Chinese researchers studied 299 participants ages 18 to 45 with dry eye disease, assigning half of them to a laughter exercise intervention and half to an artificial tear regimen.
Those in the laughter group were asked to repeat specific phrases like "hee, hee, hee" and "hah, hah, hah" aloud 30 times during five-minute sessions to simulate laughter.
Participants were also told to exaggerate their facial expressions and squint their eyes to contract the muscles used when laughing.
Participants in the artificial tear group served as the control.
Both groups performed the exercise or took the eyedrops four times a day for eight weeks.
Researchers found that the laughter-exercise group saw a decrease in eye discomfort that rivaled the artificial tears group. The laughers experienced a 10.5-point drop on the ocular surface disease index, a zero-to-100 scale that measures eye discomfort.
The artificial tears group experienced an 8.83-point drop, suggesting the laughter exercise was just as effective.
And, the benefits of laughter appeared to last longer. Participants in the laughter group improved up to four weeks after the study ended, while the artificial tears group saw declining improvement.
Researchers think laughter works because it activates eye muscles, stimulates the nervous system and helps prevent tear evaporation.
In short: The cure to dry-eye discomfort may be as simple as a joke book or some funny friends.
Copyright 2024 WUFT 89.1
