Globally, women drastically outpace men when it comes to the development of eye problems.
Eye Health Conditions:
This is especially true among older adults, who are naturally more prone to ocular shifts. In fact, according to studies, out of the 35% of adults over 50 who report vision issues, 27% of them are women.
Similarly, women are far more likely to be diagnosed with serious eye conditions. This includes cataracts, which are among the leading causes of preventable blindness.
Why Women Have Worse Eye Health Than Men:
Historically, there are many reasons why women have worse eye health than men. While many of these are due to societal and economic issues, another pressing cause is biology. Because women tend to live longer and experience more hormonal changes, their eyes are naturally more vulnerable.
One particular period in a woman’s life wherein the eyes may see and feel much change is perimenopause. Although its effects might not be as discussed as menopause, perimenopause’s impact on vision is not one to be overlooked. Read on to find out more about what to expect in your eye health as you go through this time:
You May Need To Change Medical Devices:
Estrogen influences the cornea’s curvature and thickness. As a result, when estrogen levels drop during perimenopause, it can cause changes to your eye shape. These may be hard to spot visually but it can affect how you wear contact lenses given that they sit on your eyeball.
Furthermore, chronic hormonal fluctuations can impair tear quality and production. Over time, this can result in dry eyes that make contacts uncomfortable. Consequently, it may be more practical to make the switch to eyeglasses instead. While some women may worry that this will age them, popular brands like Ray-Ban offer frames that are fashionable and functional.
These include iconic styles like Wayfarers and Aviators. With different kinds of prescriptions, ranging from single vision to multifocal, glasses can help maintain your overall comfort and confidence when contacts become too inconvenient.
Your Eyesight Can Change:
Whether you already have existing refractive errors or not, you may notice that your vision is changing more rapidly during perimenopause.
This, again, has to do with hormones. Aside from how sex hormones affect the cornea and tear ducts, as stated above, they can also affect how light enters the eyes. This is important, as this influences how pictures are formed in the back of the eyeball. As a result, many women in perimenopause find that their vision is blurred. In some cases, some women even find that they experience blind spots in their peripheral vision or their night vision is worse.
To be safe, since these symptoms can cause serious accidents, experts suggest that women experiencing these go for more frequent eye exams. Through these, doctors can prescribe necessary treatments and rule out more significant diseases.
Nowadays, eye exams are more accessible than ever, with chain stores like Target even offering them nationwide.
Your Eyes Become More Sensitive:
Another effect of hormonal changes is a reduction in the eye’s natural protectors and filters. Consequently, there is a notable link between women in perimenopause and vision-impairing diseases like age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts.
To compensate for the eyes becoming more sensitive, it’s recommended that women use sunglasses regularly. When well-made with the correct UV blockers, sunnies can prevent critical sun damage that can further hasten the occurrence of the aforementioned issues. As an added bonus, sunglasses can protect the delicate skin around the eye area, which is likely to show signs of premature aging first.
To ensure your sunglasses will do the job, look for ones that are certified to protect against 99 to 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Oversized and wraparound silhouettes are also preferable as they increase coverage. Brands like Oakley offer sunnies that fit all these requirements, so it’s pretty easy to find a pair you can rely on.
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Having had three eye accidents, I was fascinated to read this. I get annual checkups and had been advised to wear sunglasses more often. I must pass this article onto my optician. Thank you.