Many of my patients have started asking me about using something using castor oil on their eyelashes.  They want to know if it is safe to use and if it is okay for dry eyes?  Castor oil is used to condition the lashes.  Eyelashes are like other hairs on your body.  They do better when they are conditioned just like the hair on your head.

We coat our eyelashes with mascara all day.  Many mascara brands, especially waterproof formulas, are drying to the lashes.  Then, we remove the mascara, but rarely do we put anything on the lashes to nourish and strengthen them.  This would be like washing your hair without ever using conditioner.  You can imagine how your hair would get dry and brittle.

The same thing happens to our eyelashes.  Coating the lashes with mascara and removing the mascara w...

I want to talk to you about step one of my four simple steps to alleviate your dry eye. If you've been following me for awhile, then you know that I advocate you taking four simple steps to care for your dry eyes.

Let's Review

I advocate using 4-Simple Steps to care for your dry eyes daily.  These steps come directly from the TFOS DEWS II report.  This study was conducted to develop a scientifically studied plan on how to diagnose and treat dry eyes. 

These four steps are part of the treatment plan recommended whether you have mild, moderate, or severe dry eyes.  The steps support a healthy tear film, which we all need to have healthy eyes.  And of course, there are plenty of ways to customize the steps to fit your lifestyle.  Here are the 4 steps i...

Have your eyes been feeling a little down lately?  Many of my patients are very concerned with the not only the health of their eyes, but their appearance as well.  As the windows to your soul, you want them to present you in a good light.  I understand, you want your eyes to be open and bright.  You want them to enhance your appearance and not take away from it. 

There's a new eye drop that can make your eyes look more beautiful and alive.  Upneeq is the only FDA approved drop that is used to treat low lying lids by lifting the lid to open the eyes.  Unlike most of the information on my blog, this drop doesn't necessarily have anything to do with dry eyes.  But, I thought you would be interested in a drop that made your eyes look beautiful, right?

What does it ...

I want to talk about something very important having to do with your dry eyes.  Comparison.  Comparison can kill even the best intended hopes and dreams.   Often, my patients will ask me to prescribe something for them that worked for their: mom, sister, best friend, or the girl down the street.  Because, they will tell me, it works so great for that other person.   Or, they may ask me about a treatment that their best friend tried and want to try it themselves. 

However, the cause of dry eye is "multi-factorial"  This means it can come from many different sources.  Both men and woman can have dry eyes, but the cause of the dry eye and thus the way we treat it will be significantly different. 

So comparing other people's treatments to your own is not useful.  Or wanting your outcom...

Lots of states are returning to having a mask mandate.  Here in Louisiana, as of August of 2021, we are back to wearing masks while in doors in public areas.

We're back to wearing masks again.  And, if you suffer from dry eyes, like I do, your eyes are probably feel pretty bad when you wear a face covering for several hours.  I want to give you some tips on how to wear a mask when your eyes are dry.

What is going on when we wear a mask?

Well, the air from your nose and mouth needs somewhere to go when your wearing a mask.  If the mask isn't tight over the bridge of your nose, the air will travel up into your eyes and dry them out.  Not to mention, that warm moist air will fog your glasses.  When you have your mask on, and it isn't tight enough over the bridge of the nose, the air from y...

I want to talk to you about a simple hack to help you stay on track with your dry eye treatment. It's called habit stacking.  If you haven't heard of habit stacking, I'm going to explain it here.  And, I'll even tell you why it's the best way, I think, to incorporate your dry eye treatment into your daily life.

First, let me tell you a little story.  Many years ago, when I was pregnant with my second child, I had something called "Gingivitis of Pregnancy". It was awful. Every time I brushed my teeth, my gums would bleed.  Just the lightest scrub, and I would have a bloody mouth. It was so awful.

I went to dentist to ask what to do.  I was distraught.  My gums were bleeding all the time.  I could just touch them, and they would start bleeding.  My dentist said, I had to start flossing...

Sometimes, we get eye infections.  They can seem to come out of no where.  Last week, I had one myself.  I want to tell you five tips to do if you think you've got an eye infection.  These rules apply whether your eyes are dry or not.

Symptoms of an eye infection include: redness, irritation, scratchy sensation, light sensitivity, tearing, and mucus discharge.  In addition, your eye lids may be swollen and painful to the touch.

Infections can be in both eyes at the same time, or just in one eye.  But, be careful, infections can quickly travel from one eye to the other as well.

If you think that there's something going on with your eyes, these five things are going to work for you to help your eye feel better and get relief quick. Here we go.

No. 1) Take your Contact Lenses out

If yo...

I want to share with you the story of my patient Janet.  Janet was one of the participants in my online course.  She was suffering with two separate incidents of styes during the pandemic shut down.  In her town, she was unable to see her eye doctor in person.  And, she found it very difficult to get the help she needed.  

MEET JANET...

Janet is a 75-year-old woman who loves to perform theater.  She is known for her solo show performances.  During the pandemic, she took her shows on to the Zoom platform so she could continue to create and perform.   

However, the styes were not only uncomfortable, but they were destroying her confidence.  After a frustrating online visit with her health care HMO, she turned to google for help.  Janet found my book, Alleviate Dry Eye.  She liked what she...

"The Dry Eye Well-being Seminar for Patients". This event is designed for you to get some world class education about dry eyes. You'll come away from the event feeling more comfortable about how you treat your eyes.

The event is FREE to register and attend. It will be held on July 31st. Scope Eye Care (you know, the makers of my favorite artificial tear - Optase Dry Eye Intense) is sponsoring an online event. Go ahead and get registered for it here. And, tell all of your friends to join you.

There is a stellar line up of speakers. If you worry about your dry eyes and whether your eyes will always feel like they do today, you have to attend this event. The first lecture is especially for you. You'll be able to let go of the anxiety your eyes are dragging you into when you have the knowled...

My patients and some of my students in my Alleviate Dry Eye course often ask me about how to express their meibomian glands.  You may have been told to do this by your own doctor.  Or, maybe you have read about it or heard about it from a friend.  A lot of folks are still confused as to how to do it.  

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know I talk about doing four simple steps to take care of our dry eyes daily.  To review, the first step is hydrate, so using an artificial tear. The second step is to cleanse your lids and lashes. The third step is to heat your lashes, and right after that heating you often want to express those meibomian glands, so we're going to talk about that. The fourth step is to take a dry eye supplement. I always recommend HydroEye to my patien...