Impact of menopause on dry eye disease: a cross-sectional comparative study.
Severe dry eye disease is more common in post-menopausal women than in men or younger women.
Impact of menopause on dry eye disease: a cross-sectional comparative study.
Post-menopausal women frequently experience ocular dryness, with a notably greater severity of clinical symptoms and signs.
In this cross-sectional comparative study, 319 participants were enrolled: 102 post-menopausal women, 105 age-matched men, and 112 younger healthy females.
nearly 1 in 4 post-menopausal women had severe dry eye - a higher rate than men or younger women
Post-menopausal women exhibited significantly higher mean Ocular Surface Disease Index scores (24.1 ± 16.5) compared to age-matched men (20.2 ± 16.7) and younger females (19.8 ± 15.3; p = 0.043).
They also had notably shorter TBUT, greater ocular surface staining, and more pronounced meibomian gland dysfunction.
Burning (20.6%) and itching were more frequent in this group ( p < 0.05).
Multivariable regression analysis identified burning symptoms as a significant predictor of severe DED (OR ∼ 2.40), while post-menopausal status (OR ∼ 1.19) and lid-margin changes (OR ∼ 1.42) showed weaker associations.
DED in post-menopausal women is more severe and predominantly exhibits an evaporative profile, characterised by tear film instability and meibomian gland dysfunction.