Sex, Gender and Hormones in Dry Eye Disease
Abstract
Overview
Many ophthalmologists see more women with dry eye disease (DED) than men. This can partly be explained by the fact that more women than men seek professional help for medical conditions, and that DED is more prevalent in elderly people, of whom a higher percentage are female, since women live longer than men. However, it is increasingly recognised that there are other reasons for the higher incidence of DED in women. Understanding sex differences in DED is essential for successful disease evaluation and management.In an expert interview, Dr Piera Versura discusses the evidence for the role of sex hormones in the aetiology of DED, and how this evidence may be used to inform future treatment strategies.
Keywords
Dry eye deisease, hormones, sex, gender
References
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4. Dana R, Bradley JL, Guerin A, et al. Estimated prevalence and incidence of dry eye disease based on coding analysis of a large, all-age United States health care system. Am J Ophthalmol. 2019;202:47–54.
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Article Information
Review Process
This is a short expert interview and has therefore not undergone the journal’s usual peer review process.
Authorship
All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval to the version to be published.
Support
No funding was received in the publication of this article.
Received
27 November 2019
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