History of autoimmune disease, smoking also tied to increased risk for dry eye disease
TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Postmenopausal women have a higher prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) symptoms than perimenopausal women, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Menopause Society, held from Oct. 21 to 25 in Orlando, Florida.
Debora Yankelevich, from Hospital de Clinicas Jose de San Martin in Buenos Aires, and colleagues evaluated symptoms and prevalence of DED in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The analysis included survey results from 3,547 women.
The researchers found that the median Ocular Surface Disease Index score was 14.58, with 44.2 percent characterized as normal, 21.7 percent as mild, 14.5 percent as moderate, and 19.7 percent as severe. DED was seen in 57.4 percent of menopausal women versus 53.2 percent of premenopausal women (P = 0.016). There were independent associations for history of autoimmune disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.75), smoking status (OR, 1.39), and use of tears (OR, 3.21) with DED.
“It”s important to tease out the influence of aging and hormones on health,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director for the Menopause Society, said in a statement. “We are learning more about changes in eye health in midlife women. Early detection of [DED] allows for timely intervention with tailored treatments to preserve comfort, vision quality, and ocular surface health.”
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