“…15 Furthermore, estrogen treatment has been reported to induce photophobia, blurred vision, foreign body sensation, heightened sensitivity, contact lens intolerance, and fluctuations in corneal thickness, edema, and curvature. [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] These effects may explain why hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women may decrease visual acuity 44 and why oral contraceptive use in premenopausal women may increase corneal hydration, sensitivity, and contact lens discomfort [45][46][47] and lead to an elevated blink rate. 48 However, it is important to note that our results related to 17b-estradiol and corneal inflammatory gene expression have been found in immortalized cells.…”