HORMONAL related DRY EYES besides LASIK - Interesting Information

[Cristi]

Hi
Just want to share some interesting information with you, especially the ones who had lasik....
I am from Europe, had LASIK 1.5 years ago and have been suffering with dry eyes ever since.
After being to all the doctors here in Romania and also have been tested in Italy and Norway (i have posted about the experience at the dry eye clinic in Oslo) I had the chance to finally met a doctor here who seems to know something about this condition.
She told me that my condition (dry eyes and MGD) is due to IMBALANCE HORMONAL issues that I've had for years other than Lasik and the surgery far worsened the condition.
In fact my free testosterone levels are higher than normal for a female (not much higher but higher) and that the higher levels of testosteron determine the meibomian glands to produce more and more and more oil.... after some time the meibomian glands begin to collapse because they can not handle this over sized input from the testosterone hormone and the liver itself can not offer anymore the same quality of fats to the meibomian glands. So after being hormonal imbalanced for a while the meibomian glands are unable to deliver a good quality oil and instead they offer some ''bacon like stuff'' that cannot spread properly over the water layer of the tear film (apologize for the world but I cannot find another word to describe this stuff )
The same happens to the other oily glands... in fact I do have also seborrhic blepharitis.
The solution that the doctor offered is surprisingly not restasis, azyter or other commercial stuff but simply SPORT and a lot of OMEGA 3 FROM FOOD NOT SUPPLEMENTS.
The explanation is that doing sport will make your free testosterone burn up in cells and not stress the oily glands to over produce low quality fats....the meibomian glands and liver will both take a rest and hopefully they will be capable in the future to regain their normal production.
Hope this helps you too for me it is the best explanation I've got so far......
Cristina

[LaDiva]

This is interesting Cristina. I'd not hear an explanation of the oil quality linked to hormones and liver function, but it makes sense. Thank you for posting.

[Mawsky]

Hi, very interesting, I'm beginning to suspect that my DES is almost 100% due to hormone imbalance, having a surgery that completely eliminated my ability to produce my own hormones, I have since developed many odd conditions, that I think may be directly related to my off balanced system, I have been taking estrogen alone, and Docs don't seem concerned about the other hormones, such as testosterone, progesterone etc...I do not have MGD at all, but probably have very little testosterone being produced, even tho a woman we need all of our hormones to have out bodies function properly. Now just need to find the right Doctor to help. Good info thanks.

[LaDiva]

Mawsky, we are in the same boat. I went to a compounding pharmacist, took a test, and the pharmacist requested progesterone to balance what was out of balance. I'll need to do another test in June. You are right. Our balance is not balanced!

[browneyesblu]

Hi
the higher levels of testosteron determine the meibomian glands to produce more and more and more oil.... after some time the meibomian glands begin to collapse because they can not handle this over sized input from the testosterone hormone and the liver itself can not offer anymore the same quality of fats to the meibomian glands. So after being hormonal imbalanced for a while the meibomian glands are unable to deliver a good quality oil and instead they offer some ''bacon like stuff'' that cannot spread properly over the water layer of the tear film (apologize for the world but I cannot find another word to describe this stuff )
....the meibomian glands and liver will both take a rest and hopefully they will be capable in the future to regain their normal production.
Hope this helps you too for me it is the best explanation I've got so far......
Cristina

If this is the case I am wondering what we are doing to ourselves with all the compresses which must force the glands to keep making more & more oil? Maybe we need to take a break once in a while so the glands get a rest?

[sunshinelover]

Hi Cristi,
And LadivaMawsky and Browneyesblu.

This was interesting! I have been very confused about this hormone thing, since I have tested HIGH on testosterone on a saliva test, which was a shock, since I was hoping for a remedy with testosterone drops, DHEA etc. My blood test showed high estrogene and low testosterone which was perfectly in line with the research that says that testosterone is important for the glands, and antiinflammatory etc and that is why the testosterone cream and drops are being used for women, in particular after menopause. However, when I did a saliva test my estrogen was normal, progesteron a bit high (then I had used th progesteron cream extensively) and the testosteron was in the high end (still within normal though). So... then I read in the webpage womantowoman.com that high testosteron was contributing to dry eyes BEFORE menopause and the opposite was true AFTER menopause. I have serached information about that ever since, but found nothing until you wrote this. But from where is your doc basing these facts? I would love to learn more.
Noone here seem to know anything about hormones and eyes, not the ophtalmologists, not hte gyno, not the hormone doctor - noone.
Yeah, Browneyesblu you are making a good point. Soemtime I wonder if I have jsut destroyed my glands more by overheating them, at least I did that in the beginning, I almost burned them using a gelpack directly from boiled water. Now I use Bleaphasteam that makes the right temparature all the time, and I do sauna etc which feels good anyway. But still, my glands make clear oil from what I heard but obviously not the right quality. i also have some excema at the outher corner of one eye. My skin is good looking, but I have always have seborroic skin, oily hair and skin and acne in my youth. So sometimes I worry that is the fact that I am now producing less oil and getting dryer skin (normal aging process) tht pushed me over the dry eye edge. But hormones MUST be involved in this since I am in perimenopause.

[browneyesblu]

I also believe hormones are definitely a factor. I tested low for everything then made an appt. with an endocrinologist who is affiliated with the Scheie Eye Institute at University of Pennsylvania. I really searched before I made this, looking for someone will understand the connection. You are right Cristi, no one seems to.

[bunnyrabbit123]

Dear Blu,
Are you going to Scheie to be seen by this doctor? When is this appt.? I'd be very interested in anything you'd care to share, as I'm way past menopause and my dry eye just seems to have gotten worse and worse as I go on-

[browneyesblu]

Dear Blu,
Are you going to Scheie to be seen by this doctor? When is this appt.? I'd be very interested in anything you'd care to share, as I'm way past menopause and my dry eye just seems to have gotten worse and worse as I go on-

I am going to his office, near Scheie. He is on their interdisciplinary staff (they also have a dermatologist and an allergist). Appt. is not until May 7, it's hard to get one. I'll report afterwards. If you are considering going this route I suggest you get the blood tests done first, especially if you have to travel to the endo appt. as I do. Good luck!

[DCRdryeye]

If you've had a surgically induced hysterectomy or simply natural menopause, obviously your FSH and LH are high and the other hormones are not balanced. There are tests and treatments available to bring them back to normality. Why do you think they developed "3% Testosterone cream" to rub around the eyelid margins? It's a lack of testosterone and without your ovaries or natural menopause...you'll be deficient in Testosterone and also Progesterone, DHEA and Estrogen. That's why many menopausal women develop dry eyes....HORMONES AND DRY EYE ARE DEFINATELY RELATED and the research is really honing into this now.

[bunnyrabbit123]

Hi Blu,
Which blood tests are you referring to? At the outset of this nightmare, I had the usual blood work for thyroid & sjogren's. These came back negative.
DCR- I agree, but I live in a community where a lot of older women reside, so I thought I'd find someone who is going throught this too-when I mention this to them, they all claim that they're fine with OTC drops a few times a day, if they feel the need. Grrr!!

[browneyesblu]

DCRdryeye:

Do you know of anyone who tried the testosterone cream? Did it help?

bunnyrabbit123:

I meant blood tests for hormone levels. If they are low for whatever reason (and I agree with DCRdryeye about low testosterone especially and dry eye) it's the baseline the endocrinologist will use to plan treatment with supplementation.

[bunnyrabbit123]

Browneyesblu/DCR
I think there's a lot to the low T dry/ eye theory too but getting anyone to help with that has proved difficult. Some time ago I asked my gyn about doing blood work and she said 2 things, she couldn't use blood work because hormone levels flucuate throughout the day and she would be reluctant to prescribe any supplementation to me because of possible cardiovascular problems it might cause. I think she just didn't want to go there. Are you looking for something you would apply to the eye area? There's a practice near me that's using "bio-identical pellet therapy" inserted under the skin in the hip area. My hair and skin have gotten much drier over the last 2 years. I hope you'll let us know what happens with this endo appt.

[DCRdryeye]

Endocrinologists don't really use bioidentical hormones and those pellets that go under the skin are not bioidentical hormones. The real bioidentical hormones are compounded according to blood tests you have and the percentage is made up according to how much you need. I think you're seeing the wrong people.
I am using the "Testosterone eye cream", but don't know anyone else who's using it. Yes and it is very frustrating meeting older people who are fine with just a few OTC drops a day grrrr. Maybe they don't have MGD and it remains on their eye surface?

[bunnyrabbit123]

Ok- so what does an endo do for hormonal deficits? DCR, who prescribed the T-cream you are using? Are you using it on the lid area?