There is a whole host of symptoms that are widely associated with menopause. From hot flushes to mood swings, this change in a woman's life can be a bit of a wild ride. However, some women also experience dry eyes during menopause that makes wearing your contact lenses irritable and annoying. If you want to be able to continue wearing your contact lenses each day without irritation, try putting some of these dry eye tips to the test.

Why Are Your Eyes Dry?

Your fluctuating hormone levels are the reason why your eyes are feeling dry and gritty right now. As your hormone levels plummet, the meibomian glands in your eyes slow down in their production of the oil that stops tears from evaporating from your eyes. Without this oil, your tears evaporate and you experience eye dryness.

When you try to wear contact lenses while experiencing dry eyes, it is going to feel like a gritty piece of sandpaper is trapped beneath your lens. Since this is such an uncomfortable feeling to experience, you need to combat the problem before you can comfortably wear your lenses every day again.

What Can You Do About Dry Eyes During Menopause?

The first step you must take when you realize you are experiencing frequent eye issues is to visit your optometrist to see if there is any link between your dry eyes and a medical condition. For example, if you have recently started taking medication to treat a health issue, your dry eyes could be a side effect of taking the medication.

Once your optometrist has checked your eyes and given you the all-clear, consider making a couple of changes to your life.

• Start adding a couple of portions of fish to your diet each week. The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help reduce dry eye problems when taken regularly.
• Head down to your local chemist to choose eye drops that can be used several times a day to keep your eyes moist. Get advice from the chemist if you are not sure which ones work best for contact lens wearers.
• Give your eyes a bigger break from contact lenses during the day—this is particularly useful if you work with computers. Staring at technology for long period can cause your body to forget to blink, which dries the eyes out even more. Take your contacts out when you get home and put your glasses on to help reduce the gritty feeling.

The side effects of menopause will not last forever, and working with an optometrist can help to reduce the discomfort you feel while you wear your contacts during this time of change. Don't put up with the dry, gritty feeling any longer than necessary when a few minor changes to your life can help to reduce it considerably.