The effects of menopause and hormone replacement therapy on quality and quantity of tear, intraocular pressure and ocular blood flow.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the quality and amount of tear, intraocular pressure (IOP) and retrobulbar blood flow velocities.


METHODS
Twenty women aged between 40 and 50 years, free of ocular and systemic diseases and planning to receive HRT were recruited as the study group. Twenty-four healthy, age-matched but still menstruating women were enrolled as controls. On the first day of study basal and reflex Schirmer test, tear break-up time and IOP measurements (at 08.00, 12.00 and 16.00 h) were performed for all groups. On the second day of the study, the peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistivity index (RI) of the ophthalmic (OA), central retinal (CRA), nasal (NSPCA) and temporal short posterior ciliary (TSPCA) arteries were determined by color Doppler imaging. The menopausal group received HRT for 2 months, when all measurements were repeated for the 15 women who had received HRT on a daily basis.


RESULTS
The quality and amount of tear decreased (p < 0.01), IOP (p < 0.01) and RI of the CRA, TPCA and NPCA (p < 0.05) increased in postmenopausal women compared with the control group. After 2 months of HRT, the quality and amount of tear had increased (p < 0.001) and the IOP had decreased (p < 0.001). The PSV of the CRA and TSPCA had decreased (p < 0.05), as had the RI in the CRA (p < 0.001), NSPCA and TSPCA (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that age-induced changes on quality and amount of tear, IOP and retrobulbar blood flow are intensified by the menopause and that it may be possible to decrease the menopausal effects on these parameters by HRT.
Altintaş
Ozgül
O
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Kocaeli, Izmit, Turkey. Ozgulaltintas@yahoo.com
Caglar
Yusuf
Y
Yüksel
Nurşen
N
Demirci
Ali
A
Karabaş
Levent
L
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D019842:Ciliary Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000502:physiology; D013666:Tears / Q000502:physiology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
D004967:Estrogens; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate