Hormone Loss Can Help You Go Blind
Brett Newcomb and I are talking today about the relationship of hormone loss to eye health. A recent article in the “Journal of Menopause” discussed some shocking statistics. It seems that menopause before age 45 increases rates of glaucoma by 2.6 times. Six percent of women enter menopause before age 45, so that impacts 9.42 million women in the United States alone who are at increased risks for glaucoma. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the those over 30. Under 30 the leading cause of blindness is injury to the eye.
We are focusing today on issues with the eyes, problems such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma which are either caused or enhanced by losses of hormones such as estrogen. We are tracking the information and the impact on women of these issues. There is much you need to know and there is much to talk to your eye doctor and your gynecologist about.
It is important to know that there are behavioral issues such as wearing polarized sun glasses, diet issues (consuming enough beta carotene) and hormonal issues (loss or diminishment of estrogen) which all contribute to problems leading to blindness. Please check out our podcast and make sure that after age 45 you get a yearly eye exam!
