E is for Eye Problems
Covering the A-Z of Menopause and it’s impact in the workplace.
Find out more about the following: Anxiety, Brain Fog, Confidence, Diversity, Fatigue, GSM (Geno-urinary Syndrome of Menopause), Hot Flushes, Ignorance, Knowledge, Low Mood, Memory Problems, Neurodiversity, Osteoporosis, Palpitations, Questions, Reduced Concentration, Skin Issues, Tearfulness, UTI’s, Vaginal Atrophy, Weight Gain, Xena, Yearning, Zzzz Sleep Problems.
Yes, this can most definitely be an age thing but dry eyes are also affected by the drop in hormones during menopause.
During menopause, the androgen hormone decreases, affecting the meibomian and lacrimal glands in the eyelids. The Meibomian gland is responsible for secreting the oil that keeps the eyelids and tear ducts lubricated. Oestrogen is also responsible for lubricating the eye so as these hormones decline, it is common for eyes to feel more gritty or dry which makes it difficult to focus on screens or reading for long periods of time.
The older I’ve got, the harder I find it to comprehend new information if my eyes are sore. I found this particularly daunting when I had a very young boss who would whizz through excel spreadsheets and I couldn’t keep up because my eyes were always blurring at the screen.
I felt stupid and under qualified so many times, not to mention ancient. Yet I was capable of doing the work when I was left to do it on my own.
Taking regular breaks from a screen will help. It’s proven that we blink up to 15 times less per minute when we are concentrating on a computer screen than if we are not, which causes the eyes to naturally dry out, with or without hormones declining.
