Dry eyes

I had a TAH/BSO on Jan 5th. I've read about a lack of estrogen causing dry skin (which it has for me), but has anyone noticed their eyes drying out and turning red? I have never had allergies before - but it feels now like I have "allergy eyes." It's mostly in the morning when I wake up - but even after Visine, they stay slightly red for most of the day. Weird!!

eyes aren't red, but dry and mouth like cotton ...it is weird.

who has more fun than histersisters?

I do have a problem with dry eyes, but I had them before the surgery and I haven't really noticed it being any worse. I hate it, though. I use eye drops that are a natural tears formula with a lubricant, and that seems to help a bit.

Hi tessbud Yes, lack of estrogen causes dry eyes. Many women in menopause (natural or surgical) experience this problem. There are lots of OTC eyedrops that mimic our natural tears that can be tried as a first line of defense... if those don't work, there are prescription eyedrops (Restasis), though they can have side effects. Then there are punctal plugs... I had them put in a few months ago and love them. Here's a link to a description of the ones I have, called Smart Plugs:

http://www.edinburgh-eyetests.co.uk/SmartPlug.htm

They were (partly) covered by my insurance, because my opthalmologist coded the form to say the dry eyes were a medical condition (they are!).

There is also a DR who holds a patent on estrogen-containing eyedrops, but they have never been made commercially. I'd love to try this option since it addresses the problem with a solution designed to try to reverse the cause of the dryness. Using HRT's like patches, pills and creams doesn't usually do enough to help with dry eyes because there is not adequate circulation in/around the eyes to get enough estrogen to the estrogen receptors in the eyes. (Same problem with the vagina, btw, which is why so many of us have to use vaginal estrogen to treat vaginal dryness even if we're on other HRT's.)

Sorry 'bout your eye dryness... do talk with your eye DR if OTC drops don't fix it for you.

s,
-Linda

So I'm not crazy! I will definitely try the artificial tears... I thought maybe I had suddenly developed allergies - cause I've been sneezing too. Could be a combination - who knows? I've been reading everything I can get my hands on... Dr. Susan Love, Dr. Christiane Northrup - and Debbie DiAngelo's "Sudden Menopause." I think I'm on information overload - but I'm glad this stuff is out there. This site has provided some of the best support of all - thank you again.

Sarah