A decline in the male androgen hormone can cause Dry Eye because this hormone is part of the blink feedback loop that triggers the lacrimal gland to produce tears during blinking.
An increase or decline in the male androgen hormone can lead to inflammation of the meibomian glands, an imbalance in meibum production and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
References
Aging and dry eye disease
Juan Ding J, Sullivan DA.
Experimental Gerontology
2012 Jul; 47(7): 483–490. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2012.03.020
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Dysfunctional neural regulation of lacrimal gland secretion and its role in the pathogenesis of dry eye syndromes
Dartt DA.
The Ocular Surface
2004 Apr;2(2):76-91
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The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: report of the Subcommittee on Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology of the meibomian gland
Knop E, Knop N, Millar T, Obata H, Sullivan DA.
Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science
2011 Mar 30;52(4):1938-78. doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-6997c. Print 2011 Mar. PMID:21450915
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