Case-control study, 2004
Does hormonal change affect how eyes see light and color?
In one woman with PMS, hormone changes during the menstrual cycle affected her ability to see blue colors, with changes up to 1.4 log units. When she started birth control, this pattern changed. Most other women did not show clear cyclic changes.
What they did
Measured how well 7 women could see light and different colors across several menstrual cycles. Four women were not using hormonal birth control and three were using a triphasic oral contraceptive. One woman with PMS was tested in both groups.
What they found
One woman (with PMS) had clear cyclic changes in her ability to see blue colors. Her sensitivity was highest near ovulation and lowest before her period, with changes up to about 1.4 log units. The rate of sensitivity loss with brighter backgrounds was greater before her period. When this woman started birth control, the pattern changed. The other five subjects did not show clear cyclic changes in blue vision, though one showed limited cyclic changes in other color pathways.
What it means for you
Hormones may affect vision in some women, but the effects vary widely. The sample is very small, so we cannot know how common this is or whether it matters in daily life.
7
women studied
1
woman with clear menstrual-related vision changes
1.4 log units
maximum change in blue-cone sensitivity
About the study
- Original title
- Visual sensitivity across the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Eisner A, Burke SN, Toomey MD
- Journal
- Visual neuroscience
- Year
- 2004
- Study design
- Case-control study
- What was tested
- Oral contraceptive in some participants
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1017/s0952523804214031
Topics
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