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Post-menopausal women show more severe evaporative dry eye disease

Ophthalmology 360

Key Takeaways

  1. Post-menopausal women had the highest prevalence of severe DED and more pronounced signs of evaporative dry eye than age-matched men and younger women.
  2. Burning symptoms were the strongest predictor of severe DED in multivariable analysis.

Post-menopausal women experienced more severe dry eye disease (DED) than age-matched men and younger women, according to a study.

The study included 319 participants including 102 post-menopausal women, 105 age-matched men, and 112 younger healthy women.

Post-menopausal women had significantly higher Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores, shorter tear breakup time, greater corneal and conjunctival staining, and more severe meibomian gland dysfunction than the comparison groups. Burning and itching symptoms were also reported more frequently.

Severe DED was identified in 24.5% of post-menopausal women compared with 16.2% of age-matched men and 18.8% of younger women. Multivariable analysis identified burning symptoms as the strongest predictor of severe DED, while post-menopausal status and lid-margin changes were associated with smaller increases in risk.

Reference

Pandey H, Kumar R. Impact of menopause on dry eye disease: a cross-sectional comparative study. Post Reprod Health. 2026;doi: 10.1080/20533691.2026.2659566. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42484415.

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