Hormone therapy and oral contraceptives
Women who take hormone therapy, particularly estrogen alone, have a greater likelihood of developing dry eye. In a study involving more than 25,000 post-menopausal women, those taking estrogen alone had a 69% increased risk of dry eye and those taking estrogen plus progesterone had a 29% greater risk, compared to women not taking hormones. Women are also more likely to develop dry eye due to hormonal changes linked to the use of birth control pills.