4 minutes of readingAmong the many fun symptoms I started experiencing when I joined the menopause club a few years ago was chronic dry eyes. When I wake up in the morning or when I’m at my desk staring at my computer, my eyeballs can feel like they’re covered in a gritty mixture of sand and tiny shards of glass. I’m constantly reaching for my little bottles of preservative-free eye drops.
But the worst part is when I walk down the street, any day, with the lightest, gentlest breeze: as soon as a hint of air passes my eyes, they start crying like crazy, sending streaks of makeup across cheeks and prompting worried strangers to ask, “Is everything okay?”
I had gotten into the habit of wearing giant sunglasses and constantly dabbing my eyes with the tissues I kept in every pocket of my coat. But it was getting a little ridiculous. I wanted a solution! So I reached out to experts for information and advice, with surprising results.
The inevitably dry eye of menopause
First, I wanted to know why my eyes had become both dry and watery over the last few years. “Dry eye symptoms are strongly associated with menopause and hormonal changes,” Joseph J. Allen, OD, an optometrist in Virginia and creator of the Doctor Eye Health YouTube channel, tells me.
Yes, in addition to hot flashes and brain fog, we can blame dry eye on this precipitous drop in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, says Marni Robins, OD, an optometrist and professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “These hormones influence the production of our tear film components, and changes in hormone levels, altered feedback mechanisms, and altered receptor sensitivity alter the balance of our tear film and lead to dry eye,” she explains.
The strange reason dry eyes can become so wind-permeable is that the tear film (which is made up of oil, water, and mucus) isn’t doing its job well enough: “The tear film is there to protect the eye, but when oil production changes, it evaporates too quickly, sometimes as soon as the wind hits it,” says Allen. “Your body responds by producing new “reflex tears” to help protect the ocular surface.”
Now that I knew what was going on behind my dry eyes, I needed to know how to fix it. One tactic worked, while another also started to make a difference.
How to treat dry eyes
“Quality” flashing
Allen made the surprising suggestion that I should just “take the time to get quality blinks.”
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Wait, what? Just blink very intentionally, like I’m Barbara Eden on I dream of Jeannie? (Gen
Although there isn’t much data on the effectiveness of intentional blinking, a study published last year by British researchers found that in people with dry eye, a routine of closing the eye for two seconds, squeezing for two seconds, then opening the eyes, repeated 15 times in a row, three times a day, reduced dry eye symptoms.
So the next day, I stopped in front of my building for a few minutes to shut my eyes and close my eyes a few times before setting out on my morning walk. It was weird at first: how hard exactly was I supposed to squeeze? But I quickly found the balance between too soft and too hard, like a hostage trying to send a coded message via video. When I did, I could feel a light, warm layer of moisture covering my eyes after a few quality blinks.
It actually worked! I mean, not immediately, but a few days after blinking intentionally, I noticed that my eyes watered a little less when the breeze hit my face.
Treating dry eye from the inside out
About a month ago I received a sample of Bausch & Lomb Blink NutriTears soft gel supplements. They contain lutein, zeaxanthin isomers and curcuminoids, all plant-based antioxidants, mainly from ingredients such as turmeric extract, flaxseed oil, marigold extract and olive oil.
A clinical trial published in 2021 in Ophthalmology And Therapy and a second similar essay published in 2024 in Frontiers in ophthalmologyshowed that this particular blend of ingredients taken once daily in supplement form improved tear production, stability, and quality, reduced ocular surface damage and inflammation, and improved dry eye symptoms.
Allen tells me it takes about two months to see the effects of the supplements, but I feel like all these eye-healthy ingredients and my best blinking exercises are working together to make me less watery every time I go out on the street. (Remember: As with all supplements, talk to your doctor before starting them.)
The essentials
Intentional blinking combined with eye health supplements seems to work for me, but it’s best to talk with your optometrist or ophthalmologist about what’s best for you.
“If home remedies and over-the-counter artificial tears aren’t enough, there are other options for dry eyes,” says Robins. “Immunomodulatory drops can reduce inflammation on the front surface, and unrecognizable plugs block our tear ducts and increase the time our tears stay on the surface,” she explains. “There is even a nasal spray that activates our tear gland to produce more natural tears.”
You don’t have to live with dry eyes or water running down your cheeks when you go out.
Gn Health
