In this interview, I review the 4 Steps of Simple Dry Eye treatment plan and the importance of having a treatment plan that addresses the symptoms of your dry eyes.

Let me do a quick review for you here.

Step One: Hydrate - Use an artificial tear to give the front surface of the eye the moisture it needs to keep the eye healthy.

Step two: Harmonize - Using a cleanser for the lids and lashes on a daily basis will keep the bacteria living there in check.  Over population of bacteria will lead to redness and irritation.

Step three: Heat - A warm compress will help to melt the oils trapped in the oil glans lining the lid margins.  Once thee oil is able to flow freely out of the glands, the oil will coat the watery portion of the tears and prevent it from evaporating.

Step four: Heal - Ome...

Based on the research provided by the Tear Film and Ocular Surface (TFOS) Society, there are 4-simple steps all dry eye patients should take on a daily basis to alleviate their dry eye symptoms. 

In 2017, TFOS published a report called the Dry Eye Workshop that utilized the expertise of 150 clinicians and scientists around the world.  These doctors compiled all of the available research and wrote a consensus on how to treat dry eyes.  

The TFOS DEWS2 report advises using 4 steps to care for your dry eyes daily.  No matter if you have just been diagnosed with dry eyes or you have had them for years, there is a 4-step treatment process to get relief fast.  I recommended these 4 steps to all of my patients to do at home for the maintenance of healthy eyes and eyelids. 

Utilizing these 4 s...

Why would you need more than one type of artificial tear?  My patients often ask me this after I prescribed them two different artificial tears. I believe that the best treatment plan for your eyes is one that's customized to your lifestyle.  And, there are six different types of artificial tears on the market. If you don't know about the six different types, you can check out this blog and learn the pros and cons of the different types of tears.

Why More than One Tear?

I like to recommend one type of tear for my patients to use during the day and then a second one for them to use at bedtime.  During the day, you're going to need to refresh the front surface of your eye and keep it hydrated with an artificial tear that won't blur your vision.  This is just to hydrate and moisturize the e...

Artificial Tears

Which type of artificial tear is right for me?  Patients ask me this all the time.  The drug store shelves are confusing.  There are so many different kinds available.  There are six different types of artificial tears on the market today. And, you might want to choose the artificial tear based on your specific lifestyle requirements and the time of day you are using the tears.  

There has been a ton of research and development done in the eye care space in the last ten years.  Companies have been focusing on the ability to keep the feeling of moisture in your eye for longer periods.  The ingredients included in these products have shifted as well with the advancements in technology.

Don't forget to download the Ultimate Guide to Artificial Tears.  For now, let's review...

Best Eye Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes.

There are five types of eye makeup removers. You will want to choose one or more of them depending on your personal skin type and lifestyle.  Then, you just need to make sure there aren't any toxins in the ingredient list.  I review the reasons to wear CLEAN or toxin-free makeup in this blog. 

The 5 categories of eye makeup removers are: micellar water, oil-free, oil-based, clothes, and wipes. Some of these are best for heavy makeup wear and some are better for light wear.  Some of these are better for dry skin, oily skin, contact lens wear, and busy lifestyles.  Keep reading on to find out which would best suit your eyes.  And, don't hesitate to think that you may want to have multiple types around for different situations like special occasio...

Labels.  Companies use the labels on products to bring our attention to something about their product that may make them better or different from their competitor's products.  In the beauty industry, sometimes the labels are misleading and you think you are getting benefits that might not really be important.

 Let's take a look at three common labels placed on beauty brands and find out if they are truly important.

Cruelty-Free

This moniker is meant to indicate that no animal testing has been done on the product.  However, the FDA has not approved a legal definition of the label.  In practice, a brand could use this label whether it is true or not.  

Again, in practice, the label is usually used to indicate that the final product has not been tested on animals.  However, this does no...

Are your eyes so irritated that you can't wear your eye makeup?  My patients complain about this to me all the time.  Why is this happening?

If your eyes are red and watery, they may be sensitive to the makeup you're putting on your lids and lashes.  That makes it difficult to wear makeup day after day. 

Years of wearing and caring for your makeup improperly can lead you to this point in your life.   I want to be the first to reassure you though. This is not your fault.  You didn't know that placing your eyeliner inside the eyelashes was harming your eyes.  You don't know which ingredients in your makeup are toxic to your eyes.  No one taught you how to do this properly and the resources weren't available for you to learn it on your own.

The U.S. Beauty Industry

The beauty industry her...

Dry eyes have changed a lot during the pandemic. There are 3 things that have caused dry eye symptoms to worsen for patients who already have it.  Let's explore what has made dry eye worse during the COVID-19 pandemic and what we can do to counter it!

 #1) Masks

Everyone is wearing a mask for some part of the day.  You're breathing and some of this air is going up into your eyes.  All-day long, or as long as you have your mask on, the air is being directed upwards from your nose or mouth into your eyes.  A lot of my patients complain about their eyes feeling drier now than they had before.

In addition, we are avoiding touching our eyes and faces, so you may not be putting artificial tears into your eyes as often as you would like.  Especially, if you are out and about, you may not be u...

What Does It Mean to be CLEAN?

CLEAN makeup refers to a brand that is free of toxic ingredients.  Unfortunately, there are toxic ingredients hiding in some of our favorite makeup brands, which leave residues on our lids and lashes and lead to inflammation. 

These toxic ingredients are like anything else that you can think of being toxic, like eating food that is spoiled. If we eat toxic foods, our stomach would become inflamed and it would be toxic to our insides leading to inflammation, discomfort, and bloating.

What happens with toxic ingredients on the eyes?

When toxic ingredients come into contact with your eyes, they become red, swollen, watery, and irritated.  There are 26 ingredients, which are commonly found in makeup that need to be avoided on the eye.  You can download a lis...

Here in the United States, women love mascara.  We use it every day. In fact, studies show that women apply mascara nine times a week.  That's more than once a day.  And, it's the one makeup we just can't live without.  It's very important to us, but most of us don't know how to care for our mascara.  We don't know when to throw these little beauties out.

Why do I need to throw out my mascara tube?

This is not actually a question I get that often from my patients.  But, it's one that I should get, because not many of us women know the answer.  Mascara, just like a jug of milk or a loaf of bread, has a shelf life. There are preservatives in it to keep it fresh, but they only last so long.

Mascara is applied to our eyelashes, and then the wand is put right back into the tube.  We do thi...