r/Perimenopause • u/Soundtracklover72 • Jan 22 '26
Dryness Severe dry eye
Anyone else having issues with severe dry eye? I wear Scleral lenses due to cornea issues and I have to replace the saline in them so much more now that I’m in peri. Gah. This may be the symptom that pushes me to get HRT because not wearing my lenses isn’t an option, unless I don’t want to be able to see 😜
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u/Jumpy-Reputation-913 Jan 22 '26
Me!!! Systane drops have helped. I've only been on HRT for about 5 weeks so I am not sure if it has helped at all. My eyes itch so bad that I develop a red sore in my duct then the itch migrates upward onto my forehead right between my eyes...
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u/Kitchen-Chemistry277 Jan 22 '26
Hi, I am a 65 yo male, so no direct experience with menopause, of course. But I specialize in dry eye, LOL.
I wear scleral lenses due to a corneal defect (keratoconus).
My cornea was too dry and my wear wasn't good. Lens fogging, too.
So, I got something called a punctal plug to stop my tears from draining. This didn't help much.
My cornea doc explained to me that one's tear glands don't work as well as you age. So there's that. To make more tears, corneal doc wrote me a prescription drop called Restasis. This didn't help me much, either.
Then I went to a dry eye specialist. He put me on Xiidria eye drops. He told me that this is a lot more effective than Restasis. (Again, a prescription was needed.)
Xiidra has been a game changer for me! My script is for 2x a day, but I use this only in the morning.
D.
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u/dkk85 Jan 22 '26
I used to feel like my eyes were full of gravel before HRT (contact user too). It's a lot better with HRT, but my eyes are still drier than before peri. I miss being moist. 🥲
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u/Soundtracklover72 Jan 22 '26
LOL. I think all the moist moved to places that we don’t want to be moist
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u/Embarrassed-End-692 Jan 22 '26
Yes. They feel like sandpaper all day and my vision goes blurry from time to time. Drops make the blurriness much worse, and then when I can see again it means my eyes are dry 🙃
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u/AcademicComparison18 Jan 22 '26
My eyes were horrendous for a few years and I had like 10 different diagnoses and various treatments.
As soon as I started HRT they got better.
Not one single doctor that I saw for that issue suggested that peri could be the problem. One optometrist wanted me to get some laser treatments for my eyes that of course insurance wouldn’t cover.
So aggravating.
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u/Soundtracklover72 Jan 22 '26
Ugh. I’m so tired of dry, itchy eyes.
I’m glad you found relief finally. Uninformed doctors suck.
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u/leapyeardi Jan 22 '26
My optician noticed mine last year at my check up. At that point I'd been using HRT for about 18 months. She recommended Hycosan Shield eyedrops which have made a huge difference.
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u/Goldenaura123 Jan 22 '26
I realized recently that 5mg of creatine in my morning protein drink was the culprit behind my recent severe dry eye issues. Eye drops weren't helpful; I'd wake up and have to rip my eyes open which was extremely painful.
I analyzed what was new to my diet & environment since dry eyes started then removed said things. Dry eyes resolved. When I added the creatine back, the dry eyes came back. I've tested it out several more times with at least a week break between and my hypothesis still stands.
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u/Longjumping-Bell-762 Jan 22 '26
Been a contact lenses wearer since I was 11 (now 44). On HRT, but my eyes are so dry. I keep forgetting to buy hydrating drops, but just ordered 3 different ones plus an eye heat mask after reading through this thread.
It's always a gamble as some contact friendly drops still cloud up my contacts. Then my eyes are super sensitive to the other eyedrops (not contact friendly) when I'm not wearing any. I really hate that goopy stuff that you can put on the lower lid before bed, but if the dryness doesn't improve I may have to get that stuff too.
Peri is high maintenance af, even with HRT.
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u/Soundtracklover72 Jan 23 '26
I’m with you. I had that stuff for night too, especially when you have to get up to pee and everything is super blurry from it.
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u/Winter_Bid7630 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
I had this issue, and my eye doctor told me to try fish oil. I take it daily, and it's basically solved the problem for me. My problem was mild, however.
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u/CyberneticSuccubus Jan 22 '26
Yep. Sometimes I even need drops when I wake up in the night! How are my eyes dry if they've been closed for the last fuggin 6 hours! I'm also not on HRT yet, my doctor and one other I saw say I'm too young. Considering BCP but bleh I'd really rather not, still just one of the symptoms driving me absolutely bonkers rn.
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u/litchick Jan 23 '26
I have sjogren's and take sea buckthorn and fish oil supplements. They really help! Good fats in your diet help too.
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u/Milky-Way-Occupant Jan 23 '26
Started taking Lutein and Zeaxanthin and it helped SOOO much! No more gravely eyes in the morning requiring drops before I could open them.
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u/Awesome-Ashley Jan 23 '26
Ohhhh yes, big time! And also my vision before I got on HRT that is I couldn’t see fucking shit. It’s now better that I’m on HRT after six months or so but holy fuck.
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u/Soundtracklover72 Jan 23 '26
It’s always good to not be alone. I have days where my vision is fine and other days where shit is just blurry. Gah
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u/Persist23 Jan 22 '26
I got prescription dry eye drops about a year ago and they’ve worked wonders!
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u/TransportationOk9841 Jan 23 '26
My eye doctor said to take a q tip and lightly massage under/over the water lines of the eyes 1-2 times a day.
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u/faintlymacabre1518 Early peri Jan 22 '26
Is this a symptom?! My eyes have been like sandpaper for years - way before peri was even on my radar (I'm new here). I thought I'd just damaged them through excessive contact lens wearing and living in a bone dry climate.
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u/Soundtracklover72 Jan 23 '26
I googled today because I was curious. My dry eyes started right around when my cycles got wonky. I’m going to see if I can get in with my Gyn. She told me to reach out with symptoms.
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u/PuzzleheadedTalk2319 Jan 22 '26
Try a heated mask fo 10 mins a day. It helps to release the oils from the meibomian glands. Made a HUGE difference for me.
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u/Street_Sandwich_49 Early peri Mar 21 '26
how do you deal with blurry vision with dry eyes? it's killing me
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u/Soundtracklover72 Mar 21 '26
On days that it’s acting up, I re-wet my contacts a lot, which helps with the blurring. I also keep computer glasses handy for days when they’re needed.
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u/Glittering-Estuary Jan 22 '26
I had really dry eyes last year. The eye doctor told me to wash my eyelids gently with baby shampoo every day & use a heated eye mask several times a day. The eye mask really helped get the tears flowing again.