SAN DIEGO -- Hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings are familiar symptoms of menopause for most women.

But many women are unaware that hormonal changes can also cause problems with their eyes.

"I have noticed increased itchy burning, a little scratchy feeling, and intermittent blurring,” said patient Pat Webster-Sanders.

Webster-Sanders thought the changes associated with menopause were behind her.

She never realized her dry, itchy eyes were a sign of decreasing hormones.

"It's a fact that menopause does lead to increased risk of dry eyes,” said Dr. Dan Codon of Scripps Mericos Eye Center.

Dry eye syndrome is a common condition endured by menopausal and peri-menopausal women.

"Dry eye syndrome is a chronic thing," said Codon. “As the eye becomes more dry it becomes scratchy and you feel like you have mascara or an eyelash in your eye."

Webster-Sanders is the typical post-menopausal woman who is presented with typical symptoms of grittiness, stinging, burning and intermittent blurred vision.

Dry eye is caused by inadequate tear production or evaporation.

It causes more than discomfort. If left untreated, it can cause visual impairment and even infection.

Codon added, “In women it's two to three times more common than it is in men."

Symptoms of dry eye include irritation, burning, stinging, discomfort, grittiness, foreign body sensation, blurry vision, and light sensitivity.

The risk of dry eye increases with age.