A survey of ocular complaints in postmenopausal women

Aging patients often complain about chronic ocular irritation, which is commonly related to dryness of the eyes. To determine the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on ocular complaints and tear production, we compared these parameters in postmenopausal women who were taking or not taking H...

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Published inJournal of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians : the official publication of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians Vol. 11; no. 2-3; p. 44
Main Authors Jensen, A A, Higginbotham, E J, Guzinski, G M, Davis, I L, Ellish, N J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 2000
Subjects
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - physiology
Baltimore - epidemiology
Estrogen Replacement Therapy - adverse effects
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
Postmenopause
Statistics, Nonparametric
Xerophthalmia - epidemiology
Xerophthalmia - etiology
Baltimore
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Summary:Aging patients often complain about chronic ocular irritation, which is commonly related to dryness of the eyes. To determine the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on ocular complaints and tear production, we compared these parameters in postmenopausal women who were taking or not taking HRT. A questionnaire was administered to determine the number of ophthalmic complaints of 79 women who were postmenopausal at least 1 year (mean, 22 +/- 13.5 years) and were not using any ophthalmic drops or medication known to contribute to dry eyes. A Schirmer test with anesthesia was performed on each subject to quantify tear production. We found that the number of ophthalmic complaints of women taking HRT was statistically fewer (P = 0.015) than women not taking HRT. Women taking HRT for 5 years or longer had statistically fewer complaints and greater tear production, as measured by the Schirmer test, than women taking HRT for 5 years or less. The study concluded that women taking HRT have significantly fewer ocular complaints than women not taking HRT. HRT may help alleviate symptoms related to ocular dryness in postmenopausal women.
ISSN:1048-9886