I am such a cliché. As if on cue, as I became what’s known as a peri-menopausal female, my eyes dried out like a kitchen sponge that slid down behind the backsplash.
Being over 50 increases your risk for dry eyes, and if you’re a woman, well, you get an extra push in this direction.
It’s hormone-related — you know all the dumb jokes about what else dries out at this life stage). It’s no fun to have sticky, sandy-feeling eyes, and winter weather only seems to make it worse.
While there are prescription cures, you may not need to go that far to get more comfortable. My ophthalmologist turned me on to an OTC solution: Refresh Plus, single-dose vials of lubricating eye drops. I’ve become a devotee. I can stick the tiny plastic containers in my handbag or pants pocket. Whenever my eyes get that itchy, desiccated feeling around 4 PM, the drops are there for me. Not the same as having 25-year-old eyes maybe, but I can live with that.
– Janet Siroto
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