Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Hormone Replacement Therapy can contribute to problems with Lasik.

There is controversy about the affect of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) on refractive surgery. It appears that HRT contributes to dry eyes. conventional or custom wavefront Lasik and Bladeless Lasik commonly temporarily exacerbate pre-existing dry eyes. The combination of HRT induced dry eyes and refractive surgery induced dry eyes may cause serious ocular health problems, including discomfort, edema, induced astigmatism, and epithelial defect.

PRK, LASEK, and Epi-Lasik have the potential to induce dry eye, but it is more rare and tends to be less severe. Induced dry eye is not normally an issue with P-IOL, or RLE.

Women who take estrogen alone have a higher incidence of dry eye compared to those who take a combination of estrogen and progestin. While Lasik and Bladeless Lasik nearly always induce some degree of dry eye, it may not be enough to bother some people. However, when combined with HRT induced dry eye it can be problematic.

It may be that a change to your HRT would be helpful. It may be wise to select a refractive surgery technique that is less likely to induce dry eye, or to elect not to have refractive surgery of any kind.

Looking For Best Lasik Surgeon?

If you are ready to choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional or custom wavefront Lasik, Bladeless Lasik, PRK, or any refractive surgery procedure, we recommend you consider a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes nonprofit organization. Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified Lasik Doctor.

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Recent Hormone Replacement Therapy Medical Journal Articles...

Related Articles

Suicidal ideation among postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V) from 2010 to 2012.

J Affect Disord. 2015 Oct 3;189:214-219

Authors: Lee JY, Park YK, Cho KH, Kim SM, Choi YS, Kim DH, Nam GE, Han KD, Kim YH

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Suicide is a major public health problem around the world. Some studies have found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with depression in postmenopausal women. Depression is a well-known risk factor for suicide; therefore, we investigated the relationship between HRT and suicidal ideation in postmenopausal Korean women.
METHODS: We included 2286 postmenopausal women with or without HRT from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2012. The use and duration of HRT and mental health status, including stress, depressive mood, and suicidal ideation and attempts, were assessed by self-report questionnaires.
RESULTS: The proportion of participants with depressive mood and suicidal ideation was higher in the HRT group than the non-HRT group (all p values<0.05). As the duration of HRT increased, the percentage of participants with suicidal ideation increased (p for trend=0.006). After adjusting for all covariates, the odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for suicidal ideation was 1.742 (1.223-2.482) in the women with HRT, compared to women without HRT. HRT duration longer than 10 years was associated with suicidal ideation (odds ratio=2.089 and 95% confidence intervals=1.069-4.084).
LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design, a possibility of incorrect answer about menopausal status, and no assessment of the type of HRT are the main limitations of this study.
CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women receiving HRT, especially for more than 10 years, showed increased suicidal ideation compared with postmenopausal women without HRT. Physicians should pay attention to mood symptoms and suicidal ideation in postmenopausal women with HRT.

PMID: 26451506 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]