Is laughter the best medicine? Maybe for dry eye disease
A randomised controlled trial in The BMJ has backed ‘laughter therapy’ as a treatment.
Laughter therapy is as effective and safe as artificial tears for treating symptomatic dry eye disease, a randomised controlled trial has found.
In the trial, Chinese researchers asked patients to vocalise the phrase “hee hee hee, hah hah hah, cheese cheese cheese, cheek cheek cheek, hah hah hah hah hah hah” 30 times in five minutes, four times a day, for eight weeks.
Almost 300 participants were randomised to either laughter therapy or artificial tears (0.1% sodium hyaluronic acid eyedrop, self-applied to both eyes four times a day for eight weeks).
An app called Laughing Face monitored compliance, reminding participants to perform the exercise and tracking their facial movements to check the therapy was adequately standardised.
