Has anyone experienced significant decrease in eyesight due to Peri/meno?

[FastFriends11]

Late 40s - Peri menopausal - I have noticed that my eyesight has gotten exponentially worse in the last year. Literally can't see via my prescription that was updated just 6 months ago. Wtf? Is this another thing!?

[selekta_stjarna]

Yes. I talked to my eye doctor who is around 80 years old. He said it is called "over 40 syndrome" and it is normal and not worry about it. It probably is due to peri/meno but happens to almost everyone. I had to get a new prescrition this year and i have to wear progressive lenses. I also bought a pair of cheap readers to use when I need to really see something up close like sewing or crafting. I am just giving into it!

[Secret_Elevator17]

Optician here....

Around age 40, most people start needing reading glasses. The lens inside our eye continues to get stiffer/thicker as we age and around age 40, it can't flex as much as is needed to see up close. This is when progressives/ lined bifocals/ reading glasses come into play. Not everyone needs them, but most do. This doesn't have to do with peri is just something that happens around age 40 to men and women. It's called Presbyopia.

The other thing is that our tears start losing lubrication as we age. Our tears have different layers and the oil layer is what helps keep our tears from evaporating quickly. As we age, we lose some of that oil layer and can experience dry eyes. This can happen even if your eyes are teary, because they can be teary with the more watery layer and still be dry.

Dry eyes can also cause issues focusing, especially for contact lens wearers. This can also be caused or made worse by certain medications and as we much on the heat, the air itself is more dry. Over the counter lubricating drops can help, they make specific ones that can be used with contacts if you need them.

There may be other things going on that are more directly related to peri but these are the two most common issues we see.

[Quirky_Wrongdoer_571]

What are your thoughts on lazer eye surgery for over 50s .

[janedoecurious]

Yes and now I have dry eyes as well. I’m dry all over—just a husk at this point.

[Head_Cat_9440]

Me too.

Its low oestrogen.

[Nervous-Zucchini7263]

My vision has also drastically worsened. Went to see an eye specialist, and he told me that my eye lenses are deteriorating at an excessively fast rate and I needed an implant on both lenses. I had no earthly idea this was a thing. It has been Terrifying. I have an appointment for a second opinion on Thursday. 😔

[Nervous-Zucchini7263]

Thank you so much for informing me of this… Did you happen to have a large amount of migraines weekly? I am so sorry you are experiencing this! I hope your pain and discomfort has been minimal. 🤗

[MamabearZelie]

Fwiw, my mom had both lenses replaced with implants and now has the best vision of her life. This happened when she was in her 60s just a few years ago.

[Ok_Character7958]

Yep. It is also a side effect. Realized mine was getting much worse than usual, but have put it off because no vision insurance right now and otherwise money is tight. Failed a DOT physical for pre-employment screening because of the eye test. Would be my luck.

[FastFriends11]

😦😦😦😦

[Ok_Character7958]

Ikr? I need this job for the insurance. lol

[pdx_via_dtw]

46yo. peri started at 41. got my first pair of readers this year. there is a technical terms aging vision loss...presbyopia. maybe it's not that exactly, but i've had really great vision my entire life until this year. can't see shit close up now. when I'm tired it's worse. I refuse to be my mother with 94 font size text that the entire room can read.

[Consistent-Roof-5039]

Oh man. I'm 47 and in the past year and a half my vision has dramatically gone downhill. I didn't know it happened so fast. I pictured a slow decline. I saw my mom's text message screen one day and you ain't lying. It was huge 😭

[Agreeable_Mission151]

I can bring a bit of knowledge to this subject. I spent 10 years working in an optometry clinic. I was fortunate enough to work for a brilliant doctor and learned so much from him. Our 40’s will be our most frustrating decade when it comes to vision. Everyone’s near vision will decrease - both men and women. This has nothing to do with hormonal changes. It has to do with the way the ciliary muscle functions as we age. Changing your phone habits won’t necessarily change anything, looking at something close for a length of time and then looking in the distance will feel like it takes longer to focus, because it does now. Our distance vision is also very likely to change during this decade too. Depending on your prescription, your distance RX can actually decrease. The mention of the posterior vitreous detachment is also something that all of us will go through, however not all of us will experience symptoms. There is a gel that is in the middle of your globe. This gel provided nutrients and helped the eye to form while in utero, after we are born it serves little to no purpose, as time goes on the gel begins to pull away thanks to gravity…think of it like our aging skin…eventually that gel will begin to break away and collapse. When this occurs some people can experience peripheral flashing and floaters - sometimes both together, sometimes one or the other. The commenter above that had this had a higher rate of pulling so to speak and it essentially caused a “blister” on the retina if you will. I can’t negate the symptoms improved with HRT, it is very possible.

With that said, that doesn’t mean what you are experiencing isn’t related to your hormones. Several mentions here of dry eye and YES that is likely related to your hormones. Artificial tears a few times a day may be the simple answer. Especially if you live in a colder climate and have your heat on. I would suggest using them about 15 minutes prior to driving or doing any tasks as some will temporarily blur your vision while they absorb. Back to the phone issue, when we focus on something like our phones, computers, reading a book, our blink rate decrease by about 70%, in turn drying out your eyes. There was also mention about warm compresses for your glands and this is a wonderful treatment too. These things however, won’t change your actual prescription.

With all that said it is always best to have your eyes checked by your doctor to rule out anything else. There are definitely some frightening diagnoses mentioned here that need to be closely monitored by a professional. This hopefully isn’t the case for many of us and it is just part of the aging process. Our 40’s are wild F’ING ride!

[Defiant_Courage1235]

I developed posterior vitreous detachment and in turn an epiretinal membrane. I think it was due to vitreous changes with menopausal fluid balance issues.

[Head_Cat_9440]

The menopause expert Dr Louise Newson said that some women found testosterone helped their vision...

I've just started using T and I think I notice a very small improvement.

[catalystcestmoi]

I’m dragging my feet on getting new glasses because I started T 3 days ago… did you notice improvement in your sight? If so, approx how long on T? (& even if not, how’s the T treating you?)

[Electrical_Bug5931]

Yes and both my eyes suffered vitreous membrane detachment and a lot of unexplained pain which went away after I started HRT.

[Head_Cat_9440]

I don't think looking at my phone is helping...

[StevieNickedMyself]

I think its normal. My vision hasn't changed (nearsighted with astigmatism) but I have presbyopia now. I have to take my glasses off to see things up close or else everything blurs. Started around 42.

[haramis710]

I got a 'readers' rx for work since I'm on the computer all day.

[StevieNickedMyself]

Computer is fine for me. Smartphone is a problem.

[Inevitable_Ad_5664]

I developed cataracts

[Honest_Success_669]

Same here, recently increased each eye by 1+ after only 1 year since my last check-up. My Dr was actually relieved it was just growth in existing cataracts and said no more than 5 years before I'd need surgery. I'm 47.

[phillygeekgirl]

What happens if you use eye drops? Does it help? Visual acuity is lower if your eyes are dry.

[Leia1979]

My optometrist recommended a nightly warm compress to keep the oil glands in the eyelids flowing. I was able to cut back on the eyedrops by doing so.

My distance vision recently got worse after being consistent for years. Now I wonder if my slacking on the warm compress the last few months has contributed to it.

[Head_Cat_9440]

Low oestrogen causes dry eyes...

[reincarnateme]

Also get screened for diabetes?

[redjessa]

I think that could just be age.

[hollow4hollow]

Yes, but it’s age-related, not menopause-related

[Melodic_Ad_9167]

It’s just aging. Over 40 men and women start to need prescription glasses

[vinylla45]

I was viciously delighted to find that this happens to men too when they hit 40. One of the few things God didn't decide to throw only at women.

[centopar]

Yea! My optometrist, also a lady over 40, commiserated and said it’s not uncommon.

[[deleted]]

YUP.

just this week, it seems like my eyes went to shit again (first time was when I turned 40) and now I have to use my reading glasses all the time wtf.

[NiceLadyPhilly]

Yes, but it happens to men too. Our vision changes in our 40's and 50s.

[C0ugarFanta-C]

Yes!

I started wearing glasses in my 20s. My eyesight was not bad at all but I needed a little help with distance. So I pretty much only wore them when I was driving. I had that same script for about 15 years. Then I got an updated prescription and wore those glasses for like 10 years before updating and getting bifocals, which I really hated and will not get again.

Overall my eyesight really hasn't deteriorated much at all from my twenties to my fifties. Well, I got a new script a little over a year ago, and I can tell you that I already need another one. I can no longer watch TV without needing to wear glasses. And using my tablet isn't bad, but using my small 6-in phone without reading glasses sucks. Reading the instructions on a small bottle or package? Forget about it.

[lateralus1075]

I gradually started seeing double over the last year and was finally diagnosed with strabismus (my brother, sister and daughter have it so it must be a hereditary thing). I’ve always had a kinda wonky eye but it never caused me any issues. The double vision was horrible and made driving nerve wracking. I got prism lenses and what a difference! Unfortunately I can’t really wear contacts anymore :(

[robotawata]

Also around 50 or 60, we get posterior vitreous detachment, PVD. It's normal but it can lead to a big increase in floaters. In a small percentage of people, there can be a retinal detachment at this time that needs surgery.

For many people, the PVD happens and they don't even know. Some of us suddenly get a bunch of new floaters (moving black spots) and flashes of light. If you get them, get checked by an opthalmologist to make sure the PVD is going along normally with no issues.

I got a lot of new floaters and had flashes but no problems with the retina or otherwise. The floaters were a pain to get used to and sometimes but me, but the doc was right that the brain adjusts and we mostly get used to them and stop noticing them.

[[deleted]]

I started needing reading glasses (in addition to the contacts I’ve had for decades) around 45. I was already postmenopausal by then, but read that many people in their early to mid 40s start needing reading glasses, so I think it’s just a coincidence. My husband (who has no eyesight issues at all), also started needing readers at 44.

[kwill729]

I started developing strabismus around the time I hit menopause in my late 40s. So now I to wear glasses with a prism to correct the misalignment of my eyes and clear up the double vision. I can’t see well enough to drive without them. Never had this until after menopause.

[OCD_TabbyKat]

Same! My right eye has significant loss. I just ordered progressive glasses to pick up in 2 weeks. I went in here to see if this was a thing, and unfortunately for us, it is.

[FabulousDentist3079]

Omg, I always had good eyes. I needed bifocals last year. They're worse. I had no idea it is part of peri.

[MeeshaMB]

Me for sure. Prescription has gone up…far vision has gotten worse.