Dry Eye Is Connected with Ovarian Failure

A National Eye Institute study found that women with premature ovary failure (POF) may be more susceptible to dry eye.Women with POF have low levels of the male hormone androgen, a condition related to dry eye, the result of reduced tear production and poor tear quality. The study involved 65 women with POF and 36 women without POF. The results showed that 20% of the women with POF met the diagnostic criteria for dry eye, compared with 3% of those without POF. Also, women with POF were more likely than other women to have ocular surface damage and symptoms of dry eye. (The findings were published in Archives of Ophthalmology, February 2004.)