How Dry Eyes Happen More Often During Menopause

Did you know that around 61% of women going through menopause suffer from dry eyes? This is because they go through hormonal changes during menopause, such as producing lower levels of estrogen and progesterone. This impacts your body’s health and can cause certain symptoms that lead to dry eyes. To understand more about dry eyes during menopause and how it can be treated, eye care specialist Six One Six Vision Center shares their insight:

Menopause and Its Effects

Dry eyes can happen to anyone, regardless of sex. It also happens more often to those who are 50 years and older. But older women who have gone or are going through menopause are more likely to get dry eyes because of their decrease in sex hormones. The decrease of estrogen and androgen particularly affects the meibomian and lacrimal glands in the eyelids, which normally produce the oil and fluids for the eyes. This means tear production gets affected and results in dry eyes.

Knowing the Symptoms

If your eyes feel itchy or you have blurred vision, that can indicate that you have dry eyes. Other symptoms include red eyes and your eyelids swelling, along with a gritty feeling and a foreign sensation in your eyes. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms during or after menopause, have it checked by a trusted eye doctor as soon as possible.

Proper Treatment is Essential

Some over-the-counter medications can treat dry eyes to a certain degree and ease some of your symptoms. But you need to be aware that some products will have preservatives that can irritate your eyes if used too much. You might be thinking about applying lubricating gels and ointments, but you’ll also risk temporarily clouding your vision while in use. To avoid worsening the condition unknowingly, get your dry eyes professionally treated.

If you’re looking for a locally trusted optometrist for your eye exam, Six One Six Vision Center is a name you can truly count on. Set up an appointment today by calling or texting our office at (208) 514-1858! We serve our customers in Idaho, including Boise, Eagle, and the surrounding areas.

COVID-19

To our Six One Six Vision Center Families,

Our office is fully open to serve your eye care needs. We cannot wait to see you in our office again! With the health and safety of our team and patients at the forefront of our minds, the following changes have taken place while we all do our part to fight this pandemic:

We ask that if you are experiencing a fever, shortness of breathe, or a cough that you reschedule your visit at this time.

We are asking our patients to complete as much of the typical intake paperwork and collecting of insurance information electronically to reduce the amount of team members they need to be exposed to at the office.

We have very strict cleanliness procedures for anyone who comes in to our office at every point of their visit to lower risk of potential infection.

Now more than ever, we need to take care of ourselves, our families, and our communities as best we can, while practicing safe social distancing recommendations. We will get through these difficult times together, and I promise you our office and our team will be here to support you as best we can during these changes, and will be even stronger once we can return to normal care.

Be well, stay strong, take care of each other.

– Six One Six Vision Center Team

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