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A systematic review recently published in BMC Ophthalmology investigated the impact of female sex hormones and associated milestones of menarche (the beginning of menstruation), pregnancy, and menopause on the physiology of the cornea. Give me some background first. Sex hormones play a key role in the development and function of the cornea because it is a gender-dependent and hormone-responsive tissue. The cornea expresses sex hormone receptors in at least three of the five corneal layers: Corneal epithelium Stroma Endothelium Talk about the study. Using multiple databases, the literature review included a total of 55 articles. The primary outcomes of female sex hormone-dependent changes to the cornea included: Central cornea thickness (CCT) Intraocular pressure (IOP) Tear break-up time (TBUT) Schirmer’s test Further, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores were included to record symptom analyses for this review. How do menarche and menstruation affect the cornea? One study found that IOP increased at ovulation compared to the end of the menstrual cycle, with a difference of around 1 mmHg (p=0.05). Another study demonstrated that the CCT tends to be thinnest (542 μm) at the start of the menstrual cycle and thickest (559 μm) at mid-cycle—during ovulation. What about the tear film? Numerous studies have indicated that changes in dry eye symptoms may be linked with variation in sex hormone levels during the menstrual cycle, and were found to worsen during periods of peak estrogen levels. Then, how does pregnancy affect the cornea? Several studies have indicated increased ocular discomfort and decreased tear production in pregnant patients. Efe et al. found a synchronous relationship between IOP and CCT changes through all trimesters of pregnancy. Learn more at the link in bio. . . . . . . . . #optometry #optometrist #ophthalmology #ophthalmologist #medicine #residency #scrublife #contacts #cornea #glaucoma #retina #eye #keratoconus #surgeon #dryeyes #optometrynews #retinopathy #womeninmedicine #optometrystudent #healthy #medstudent #contactlenses #glasses #vision #physiciansassistant #nurse #premed