Dry eyes in peri

[BedRot]

Has anyone else experienced this? I am 43 and just started a trial of HRT that has successfully tackled all other symptoms (thank fuck). But the dry eyes haven’t improved. My eyes themselves are dry but I can cope with that. However the skin around them has been sore and irritated for months and nothing topical sorts it. I now have lines all around my eyes and makeup really drags and sits in them. I look like I’ve aged about ten years overnight. Has anyone experienced this and found anything that helps??

See your optician - it could be blepharitis. I use an eye gel prescribed by the GP, and clean my eyes twice a day with blephasol. If I get a flare up, a hot flannel on my eyes for a few minutes several times a day does the trick.

I had to buy drops from the optician to sort My eyes out

Thanks @listlovers I was out anyway so popped into Boots and bought some blephasol gel. I’d never heard of it so appreciate the tip. @romany4 thanks to you too. Odd that it hasn’t occurred to me to visit the optician but I will make an appointment. Usually a lot easier than seeing my GP!

I wear eye makeup every day and look terrible without it so that isn’t helping 🙄

Yes , dry eyes were my first peri symptom. I'm always using drops I'm going to discuss it at my next opticans appointment.

I always manage to get the drops running out my eyes which I've noticed dries my skin . Is it possible that happens to you too?

Thanks @Mairzydotes. No, the skin around my eyes is all irritated on its own. I haven’t used any drops for my dry eyes yet but am sure the two things must be connected. Previously my eyes were all red and swollen too, like an allergic reaction, but this has now died down and is just perpetually irritated skin (sore, red and dry).

Are you sure it's not rosacea? That can affect eyes as well.

Viscotears are good.

Taking an Omega 7 ( sea buckthorn) supplement and collagen have helped my eyes massively

Have heard that @somethinginthewater and apparently good for moisture in other intimate places after meno too!

My optician has told me today that my eyes are extremely dry and has recommended Hycosan Extra eye drops. The bottle is a one click, one drop system so doesn’t run out of the eye. It wasn’t exactly cheap at £11.50 but it seems ok from the first drop I’ve put in

An optician should be able to see blepharitis and at least you'll know that's what it is, if that's the case.
Like someone has already said, a hot flannel can work wonders. I use one every day and things have really improved for me.
My eyes were driving me mad. I thought I had dry eyes, or my allergies had gone into overdrive.
The blepharitis, whilst irritating my eyes, also caused them to constantly weep at the corners leading to extremely sore, red and itchy skin.
One thing I'm not sure anyone has mentioned is chloramphenicol ointment (can be bought over the counter, just tell the pharmacist a family member has conjunctivitis) which I found by accident whilst trying to solve my problem. It stopped the weeping straight away, not sure why!, giving the skin a break and the chance to heal, whilst lubricating my eyes a bit and making them feel better.
Fingers crossed for you.

I have this but can control it with:

• omega 7 / sea buckthorn supplement
• clinitas soothe eye drops
• cleaning my eyelids daily. I use boiling water, add some bicarbonate of soda, allow it too cool and then use a cotton bud to clean. (This was recommended by my optometrist)

Hi OP my eyes have become very dry while I'm in peri and on HRT.

I've been using hycosan as they can be used with my contact lenses. I find wearing lenses is easier than wearing glasses. If I don't wear glasses and rub my eyes, my eyelid sticks to my eyeball they are so dry!

I do find that the drops irritate the skin around my eyes though and I already have excema in the corners of my eyes and the hycosan drops run out slightly when you bring your head down from putting them in and exacerbates the irritation.

There is a hycosan for irritated eyes such as hay-fever too.

Sorry *if I don't wear contact lenses

Wearing glasses is much more uncomfortable.

I’ve had this since November and haven’t been able to wear lenses (which has been a huge dent to my ego). Make up and moisturisers made it much worse and the optician said it was Blepharitis / menopause. I’ve soldiered on but the pain and discomfort was waking me up at night so on Friday I started chloramphenicol antibiotics recommended by Gp (straight from chemist; no prescription needed) and it’s made a huge difference. Highly recommend. He said it might be Blepharitis plus a bacterial infection in the tear ducts- either way the ointment is zapping it. I’m trying to up the vegetables in my diet and banish sugar etc The idea that bacteria have colonised my eyes is slightly horrifying. I bloody hate getting older!

And yes to the hycosan making the skin around my eyes really dry. I’ve stopped that and stuck with the ointment which is working much better.

I've got extremely dry eyes which started in Peri, and my optician noticed this and recommended / sold me the same.

I didn't like it. I wouldn't have minded paying the price so much if I had, but I found them quite 'greasy' for want of a better word. I've had a more soothing effect from simple eye drops which I keep in the fridge. The cooling effect is also nice. Especially in summer, when I have the double effects of Hay Fever.

I get a pack of three eye drops from Amazon for about six quid.

Great information and feedback here, I too have been experiencing this for the last 5 years since my late 30s , diagnosed with blepharitis but I'm sure it's relating to hormonal changes . I use hyloforte drops by day and was prescribed a night ointment from the same range but I don't tolerate it at all it stings. I take an omega 3 oil which I feel has helped but I'm off to research the omega 7 / sea buckthorn supplement and I may try that. Thank for all the info shared 🙌

They need to be a bit oily because that’s the natural make up of tears. I had terrible watering eyes a few years back and went to pharmacy and he said dry eye. I was so doubtful but he explained that excess tears affect the balance so they keep watering to replace moisture but if not oily enough it doesn’t work. Anyway , after the first few drops it stopped.

Wow, thanks so much to everyone for all the advice. I had no idea this was such a ‘thing’ and it sounds like others here have experienced worse than I am so sorry to hear about those experiences. I will be making an opticians appointment asap.

Please could someone who has had success with the omega 7 supplements link to the brand they tried?

Yes, I have this. In fact my eyes get so painful I find driving hard. I use clinitas gel. Use it up to 4 times a day and try to be consistent - it does work. Also use a gel in my eyes at night specifically for night use. Epimax eye cream for the skin around the eyes. About to try HRT myself so maybe my dry eyes will get better.

I am also a contacts lens wearer but no issues there so far. I tend to find the dryness wears off a couple of hours after waking, but the sore skin is really bothering me.

Holland & Barrett have them op.

Dry eyes, dry mouth too, is common during perimenopause. It's due to fluctuating, as well as declining, oestrogen levels.