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...

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...

I hope that most Americans have gotten into the habit of having their eyes checked once a year.  No matter your age or stage of life, you should be having an annual eye exam.  And, if you are having a problem with your eyes, schedule an appointment to see your eye doctor.

A lot of times, patients come to see me for a very specific reason instead of for their annual eye exam.  They come to see me specifically because they have eyelashes that are turned around and are poking their eyes.

What is Trichiasis?

Trichiasis is the medical term for eyelashes that are misdirected or growing in the wrong direction.  It's a problem that can be annoying at best, is usually painful, and can lead to devastating eye infections in the worst cases.  

When eyelashes grow inward or towards the eye, they ca...

This week, I have a special guest with me. Zac Denning is meeting us from San Francisco, California. He is with ScienceBased Health, which makes my favorite omega supplement and Zac is here to talk to us today about HydroEye.

According to the TFOS DEWS II Report, it is important to start every dry eye patient on a daily regimen for eye care.  I recommend using 4-Simple Steps daily: artificial tears, lid scrubs, warm compresses, and a dry eye supplement to help support a healthy tear film.

My favorite dry eye supplement is HydroEye. I thought I'd bring Zac on today to share with my readers and listeners, why we both love HydroEye. So let's start out with an easy one.

What is HydroEye?

HydroEye is a clinically tested supplement for dry eye support. It's really a unique formula. It contai...

I was able to take my first trip a couple of weeks ago to an in-person education meeting.  I was so excited to travel again and traveling now causes some new problems for those of us who suffer from dry eyes. 

Getting ready to go on a trip caused me to think a bit about packing up my dry eye supplies.  It is so important not to skip out on your eye care routine even if you are out of town.  The results of missing a few nights of care can be disastrous.  I've been there.

I previously wrote a blog about traveling with dry eyes.  You can check out that blog here.  It goes over specifically all the things you need to pack in your carry-on versus your checked bag.  

What has changed?

Airlines are requiring you to wear a mask for the duration of your flight.  Mask wearing can be particularly...

Many of my patients ask me about using artificial tears.  There are so many of them on the market.  It's hard to know which ones to use.  

Based on the research provided by the Tear Film and Ocular Surface (TFOS) Society, I advocate using Artificial Tears on a daily basis to care for your dry eyes.  TFOS wrote a report called the Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS II) Report that utilized the expertise of 150 clinicians and scientists from around the world to compile all of the literature available in the dry eye space and write a consensus on how to treat dry eyes.  

The TFOS DEWS II report advises using 4 steps to care for your dry eyes daily:  

1. Every day, the first step is to hydrate your eyes with an artificial tear.
2. The second step is to clean the lids and lashes.
3. The third step is to...

WooHoo!  We made it to 100 Blogs!  I am so grateful that you are here with me.  We couldn't have done it without you, the readers.  Join me as we review the best posts of the past 100.  Let's dive in...

Most Referenced Blog: 4-Step Dry Eye Relief Plan

There is a 4-step treatment process that I recommended my patients to do at home for the maintenance of healthy eyes and eyelids.  Utilizing these 4 steps is a daily regimen to give your body the support it needs to function properly.  Taking these steps daily will help you to restore and maintain healthy, comfortable eyes and clear vision.

Hydrate, Harmonize, Heat, and Heal: Performing all 4 steps on a daily basis will go a long way in healing your eyes and helping them to stay healthy, happy, and hydrated.  Check out the full post here...

One of the most common complaints I get from my patients that I either see in the office or online in a telehealth visit is, "Why are my eyes so tired?"  And then, the patient usually elaborates with something like this, "I don't know what they're doing, they're just tired. I wake up, and they're tired. I drink my coffee, and they're tired. Why am I so tired all the time?"  Today, I will review three reasons why your eyes are tired.

#1) Your Eyes are Dry

Most Americans are using digital devices constantly.  Whether it's computers, phones, tablets, or even watches.  You are using these electronics for up to eight hours a day. Sometimes you may even use two at a time. You're on the computer and you're on your cellphone all at the same time.  You can't escape these digital devices. The de...

In the last blog, I covered why CLEAN makeup is so important for your eyes and body.  Check out the blog here, if you missed it.   You probably realized the importance of wearing clean makeup.  And, you know that by switching to CLEAN makeup you can prevent both eye irritation and wrinkles!!! 

Now that you're fired up about the importance of using Clean Makeup, let's review the three best clean makeup products for sensitive eyes.  If you feel like your makeup makes your eyes red and irritated, then switching out a few products will be well worth your time. 

I certainly understand how you feel.  Just a few years ago, I was in your shoes too. I was embarrassed that my eye makeup would run down my face by the end of the workday.  I thought, "Who would listen to me as an expert in eye care w...