Oh, the wonders of menopause. As if hot flashes and moodiness weren't enough, suddenly my eyes began drying out as well!
It started off as just a little dryness in the winter. My eyes have always been sensitive, so I didn't worry about it at first. I don't like to use eye drops - they seem to make my eyes even more irritated – so I figured I could just wait it out, and the dryness would leave when winter did.
Problem was, long after winter had started to fade, my eyes remained just as dry as ever! Worse, weeks and weeks of dryness had left them raw and tired and just all-around uncomfortable. It seemed like they hurt all the time – some days only a little, and others were excruciating – but it felt like I never got a break. It reminded me of a bad sunburn, except it was on my eyes, and it never, ever seemed to heal. Eventually I broke down and tried eye drops, but, as predicted, this only seemed to make the problem worse! I had to find out what was wrong.
Finally, since it seemed like every health problem I've had recently was the result of perimenopause, I decided to ask my OB/GYN what the deal was with my eyes.
Surprise, surprise - my hormones were the likely culprit once again! It seems that hormonal changes, like those during pregnancy or menstruation, can really slow down how often your body makes tears. Take a case of insufficient tears, throw in a little aging and some dry winter weather, and boom – your eyes can get real dry, real fast. Although she wasn't positive, my gynecologist suggested I talk to an eye doctor, because I might have Dry Eye Syndrome.
I went to the eye doctor, she ran some tests, and agreed that I did have a case of dry eye, caused by insufficient tears. Thankfully, though, this was one symptom of menopause I could treat – although there's no cure for dry eye, there are things you can do to help relieve its symptoms and make up for the insufficient tears. My eye doctor recommended I buy a humidifier for the dry weather and give artificial tear eye drops another try.
I'll admit, I was concerned for a moment there; like I said, I'd always had problems with eye drops. The doctor told me not to worry, though: she explained that although the preservative ingredients can irritate some people's eyes, SYSTANE® Preservative Free Lubricant Eye Drops offers the same protection and comfort as the original SYSTANE®, but in single-use vials recommended for sensitive eyes.
I was a bit skeptical at first, but, boy oh boy, SYSTANE® Preservative Free worked like a charm! Whenever the dry eye started acting up, I'd just pop in some SYSTANE®, and it would provide the moisture and comfort I needed to help me get through the day – without irritating my sensitive eyes.
Plus, SYSTANE® seemed to give my eyes the protection they needed to feel better. The dry eye still comes and goes, but it's not nearly as bad as before – in spite of my insufficient tears, SYSTANE® allows me to keep my symptoms under control.
Hopefully, once my hormones finally settle down again, my dry eye will become a little less severe. But, even if it doesn't, I'm glad I have SYSTANE® Preservative Free on my side.
This is only my story. SYSTANE® may not work for everyone, but it helped me, and it may help you.
*Inspired by real-life experiences.
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