Perimenopause affects more than just reproductive health—it also impacts your eyes. Declining estrogen levels can lead to dryness, blurry vision, and changes in eye shape. Learn how to recognize symptoms and keep your eyes healthy through regular check-ups, a balanced diet, and proper hydration.
Does menopause affect eyesight?
As women enter perimenopause, declining estrogen affects not only reproductive health but also eye tissues. Estrogen supports corneal thickness and tear production, so as levels drop, issues like dryness, blurry vision, and eye discomfort often arise. Estrogen also helps your eyes’ oil glands maintain moisture and produce tears. With lower levels of estrogen, women in perimenopause and postmenopause may experience reduced eye lubrication and, as a result, more dryness.
What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause is when your body starts transitioning to menopause. During this transition, your ovaries produce fewer hormones, causing your menstrual cycle to become erratic or irregular. In perimenopause, your body is moving toward the end of your reproductive years. It’s a natural and expected progression but comes with physical and emotional symptoms. Some of these symptoms can disrupt your life or make you uncomfortable.
Perimenopause may begin as early as your mid-30s or as late as your mid-50s. Some people are in perimenopause for only a short time, while others are in it for several years. As you approach and enter menopause, your estrogen levels start to fall, which can affect both your eyesight and the appearance of your eyes. Also, there are possible concerns for dry eye disease, cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.
Changes in eyesight and eye pressure
During this period, the pressure inside your eyes can change and affect your eyesight, causing it to deteriorate. You might have to squint a bit more when you read or drive; you can’t see as far into the distance as you once could. If you’ve ever had your eyes tested, you’ll know that one thing the ophthalmologist will do is check your eye pressure. This is usually done by exposing your eyes to bursts of air.
Changes in eye shape
Your eyes can change shape! This may sound horrible, but the change can be very slight. Those of you who wear contact lenses might suddenly realize that your contacts feel really uncomfortable. You’re not doing anything differently, but suddenly, there’s more irritation than usual. Again, this could be due to perimenopause. If this is the case for you, get tested for new contact lenses.
Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry eye is a common issue during perimenopause. The eyes are lined with mucous membranes—tissues also found in the digestive tract, lungs, mouth, and bladder—that tend to become drier during this time, leading to discomfort. Without enough tears to keep the eyes moist, blinking can feel uncomfortable, and a gritty sensation may develop, potentially affecting vision as well.
Watery eyes
You can end up with very watery eyes at the opposite end of the spectrum. If you’re in perimenopause, for example, your estrogen levels are going to fluctuate. This can affect your periods—they can become heavier or a little more frequent—and, for some reason, it might also impact your eyes.
Sometimes, the weather changes at the drop of a hat, suddenly becoming windy, cold, or sunny. When this happens, my eyes start tearing, which is annoying to say the least—it looks as though I’m crying as I walk down the street, when in fact, my eyes are just producing extra tears to protect themselves from the harsh conditions.
Tired eyes
You may also have tired eyes, primarily if you work on a computer all day or spend a lot of time in front of screens. Your eyes can become really, really tired, which can cause problems with focus. Your eyes take a little bit longer to focus when you shift from looking at things close up to seeing at a distance.
Other eye conditions to watch out for include glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. Your healthcare professional or eye specialist should diagnose these issues.
Support yourself in this stage of life
Get your eyes tested regularly
The most important thing you can do is have regular eye check-ups, even if you’ve never needed them. An optometrist will check right inside your eyes, measure their pressure, and check your range of motion. If you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms, schedule an extra eye test between your usual annual appointments.
Support your eyes
Many supplements contain extracts of foods and flowers high in compounds called lutein and zeaxanthin, which are known to help stabilize and support the eyes.
Eye drops
If your eyes are dry and gritty, you could try eye drops. These are great because they’re vegan and contain absolutely no preservatives. They’re also suitable for those who wear contact lenses daily.
Omega 3s
Make sure to get enough Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Foods like oily fish (salmon, mackerel), and if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, consider things like flaxseed oil.
Eat brightly colored foods
Brightly colored foods contain compounds such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin A. They include all sorts of great veggies like carrots, beets, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
Zinc
Consider zinc, too. It’s essential for eye health—you’ll need a daily supplement with around 15 mg of zinc.
Water
Last but by no means least: water. Remember that during perimenopause and menopause, women get extra dehydrated. Dehydration affects your eyes, contributing to dry eyes and eye pressure. Drinking 1.5 liters of plain water daily can benefit your eyesight.
Menopause impacts a woman’s whole body. Reproductive changes may attract the most attention, but menopause can affect other bodily systems, too, like your eyes. Menopause and changes to your eyesight often go hand-in-hand, and more awareness can help you take better care of your eyes and recognize symptoms of menopause-related eye conditions early on.
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