What Menopause Is Doing to Your Eye Health - #152
Dry, burning, itchy, gritty eyes. Vision that fluctuates day to day. Headaches you never used to get. If you've chalked this up to allergies, screens, or "just getting older," this episode is about to change how you see it — literally.
Estrogen and androgen receptors exist throughout the eye, yet almost no one connects hormonal transition to eye health — including most doctors. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Joseph Allen, doctor of optometry and founder of Doctor Eye Health on YouTube (1M+ subscribers), to have the eye health conversation that should be a standard part of every menopause discussion and rarely is.
We cover:
Why dry eye disease affects up to 61% of postmenopausal women — and why your eyes can water excessively while still being dry
The full spectrum of menopause-related eye symptoms: itchiness, fluctuating vision, light sensitivity, eye strain, twitching, and floaters
The extraordinary link between eye health and cognitive function — including how amyloid plaques linked to Alzheimer's can show up in the retina years before a brain scan detects them
Why postmenopausal women face elevated risk for glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy — and what a real screening schedule looks like
The nutrients that matter most for your eyes after menopause, including lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3s, vitamin D, and zinc
Whether blue light glasses are actually evidence-based, or just another wellness trend
What to ask for at your next eye exam, and what you're probably not telling your eye doctor that you should be
If no one has ever asked about your eyes as part of your menopause care, this episode will tell you exactly what to bring up next time — and why it matters far beyond your vision.
Find Dr. Allen:
https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorEyeHealth
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If you’re a Chicago-area midlife woman, check out the Chicago Menopause Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to navigating menopause locally with experts:
https://chicagomenopausecollective.org