Research has emerged linking our menstrual cycle to our eyesight and suggests that the eye is a gender-specific and hormone-sensitive organ. As women, our vision seems to improve around ovulation and then become less sharp in our premenstrual phase and during menstruation. This hormonal connection to our vision is relevant in menopause as well.
Here on Siobhán Talks Periods, I have shared so many blogs about how the cyclical nature of your hormones and your menstrual cycle impacts your body. Your digestion, your sleep, your immune function, even your sense of smell, changes depending on what your hormones are up to at different times in your cycle. I recently came across a study that shows how the menstrual cycle impacts your eyesight and I am really excited to share these findings with you!
Scientific review by John C. Newlands and Paul R. Bates
In this scientific review, John C. Newlands and Paul R. Bates delve into the fascinating link between our female reproductive hormones and our eyesight. Traditionally, discussions about the visual system and the female reproductive cycle have been kept in separate spheres. Like with many things in medicine, we have eyesight specialists and we have endocrinologists who specialise in hormones, and then we also have our women’s health doctors and gynaecologists. The treatment of these issues is separated out in the guise of specialising, and in many cases such levels of specific expertise can be helpful. However, in an attempt to fully understand the human body through specialised research, science and medicine so often forget that, when it comes to our bodies, it’s all connected. This is why I love working as a naturopath in the field of holistic health, where we remember this fundamental truth, that it’s all connected.
This is one of the reasons I was so excited to see this new research, because we are now seeing what a huge role our reproductive hormones have on the rest of our body. Despite their name, our reproductive hormones do so much more than help us reproduce. Our period isn’t just a side-effect of not getting pregnant. And ovulation is not just for making babies. It is a crucial part of our hormonal make up as women, and triggers so many other things to happen in our bodies. You can read more about this in my blog: 3 Surprising Reasons Why Ovulation is so Important However, as our understanding of human biology deepens, it is becoming increasingly evident for scientists too, that these seemingly unrelated systems share an intricate connection. So back to our study that dives into the connection between our hormones and our eyesight.
In their review, Newlands and Bates note that, “The eye is an extension of the human brain, and there is a growing body of evidence that the functioning of the brain and menstrual cycle are intricately related.” It's all thanks to the interplay between our hormones and nervous system. Their paper reviewed all previous studies that linked eyesight and hormone. They found that some studies suggest our vision might take a bit of a dip during and before menstruation, while others say it perks up during ovulation. During the middle of our cycle, the ovulatory phase, our ability to pick up on visual cues improves too. Some studies suggest the cornea might change in thickness and curvature depending on where we're at in our cycle, and our intraocular pressure can change as well; so, there are definitely a lot of different factors at play.
Visual sensitivity, crucial for interpreting the surrounding environment, experiences fluctuations in response to hormonal changes. Studies show increased sensitivity during the midcycle/ovulatory phase and decreased sensitivity in the premenstrual phase. Visual discrimination tasks also demonstrate improvements during the premenstrual phase, aligning with broader research on menstrual cycle influences on cerebral-visual function.
Because of all of this, the authors essentially suggest that the eye is a gender-specific organ, in that male and female eyes act differently thanks to our hormones. They also state that the eye is a hormonally-sensitive target organ, which is interesting and likely has implications for women in menopause too.
Have you ever noticed your eyesight change at certain times of the month?
I can’t say I have, but I do find my eyes get more tired and I find it harder to look at screens in my premenstrual days. I don’t wear glasses and I guess I don’t pay too much attention to my vision but I would love to hear if anyone with glasses or any sort of visual impairment notices the differences throughout their cycle. If you do, please let us know in the comments because I find it fascinating! It could also be interesting to get your eyes tested at different parts of your cycle to see if the changes are perceptible. Having that knowledge about how your eyesight changes could be helpful for future eye tests needed for work or driving licences or anything like that. I hope you have enjoyed learning about these eye-opening discoveries! If you want to read the full paper you can check it out here.
Herbs for your eyes
As a herbalist, I always like to share valuable herbal insights whenever I can so here are some herbs that can support eyesight.
- Eyebright (Euphrasia) is like a first aid remedy for the eye and may help improve eyesight for some people
- Passiflora can help ease eye strain and is known to help reduce pressure on blood vessels around the eyes.
- Avena sativa is great for reducing the stress that screentime puts on our eyes
- Lutein is a phytochemical that is well-known for supporting the eyes.
- Bilberry – closely related to blueberries, and often called wild blueberries. Bilberries are known to support eyesight and specifically improve night vision.
- Gingko biloba – enhances circulation around the back of the eye and throughout the eyes themselves.
Please note that all of these herbs should be ingested internally and not placed directly in the eye. If you are looking for herbal eye drops check out the range of Eye Drops from A.Vogel.
A.Vogel Moisturising Eye Drops
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