MGD and dry eye during and after pregnancy

[eg_94_l]

Does meibomian gland dysfunction and decreased tear production worsen during pregnancy? And if so, will it get better after the baby is born? Are cyclosporin eye drops safe to use during pregnancy and breast feeding.

I have tried reading about the subject, but there is limited information available.

[Guest]

Hormone related articles/medical studies in relation to dry eye and MGD are sparse. However there's a pretty big correlation between low androgens and dry eye. Because mostly women are affected by dry eye, especially post menopausal women, it was thought that estrogens played the main role in dry eye/MGD. However, after further research, it's not just estrogen and progesterone that modulate the receptors, it's androgens as well. Low androgens usually leads to dry eye.

as for how you should feel while pregnant, it depends on how your body responds to pregnancy, weather you're having a boy or girl, your age, etc. some women feel way better when they're pregnant, some worse. Until people start getting more bloodwork done and understanding the hormonal aspect of dry eye, it's hard to really help you out.

as for cyclosporine, it seems pretty safe from the insert when applied topically to the eye. Rats given 80 times the dose of cyclosporine I think had some thyroid tumors. Don't quote me on that, ill check the insert if I can find it. By that I'd say it's relatively safe, anything under that does didn't produce tumors or many negative side effects. But again, always consult with a doctor. Hope you're doing well!

[Roland]

The effect of pregnancy on dry eyes is currently inconclusive; as Dowork123 mentioned there is a correlation between hormones and dry eyes but there is nothing definitive about the role of pregnancy and lactation.

Speak with your eye doctor, but you can increase the safety of the cyclosporin drops by ensuring you block your punctum/inner corner of your eyes when you instill your eyedrops.

Eye drops in general are fairly safe as they have a mainly local effect; and even if they do enter the bloodstream, their concentrations tend to be very small compared to taking oral medications, which usually means much fewer side effects.