In the clinic, I get asked this question all day long, "What's causing my eyes to be so dry?" The short answer is that dry eye is multifactorial. It comes from many different causes. Some of the things we have no control over, like your gender and your age.  Women, especially those over 40, are more likely to have dry eye than men. And, we can't change our gender or age.  But, there are a ton of causes of dry eye that we can control.   

Let's talk about what you can take care or change to help our dry eyes. I like to break this down into three parts. I called it the EYE Method.  The first is E for Eyes. The Y is for Your Health. And, the final E is for the Environment.  Let's look at each part.  Over the next 3 weeks, I'll break down the nitty gritty of controlling each of the parts of the ...

There was a great lecture on Sleep last week sponsored by my friends at Umay.  Poor sleep habits have a direct relationship to the dryness of your eyes.  

You can watch the webinar here.  But, I also wanted to highlight some of the most important points in this blog.  There are several hacks you can use to encourage your body to sleep better.

Here are the best tips:

#1) Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule 
Getting good sleep starts from the minute you wake up.  Your actions all day long will have an affect on how well you are able to rest that evening.  Thinking about setting your circadian rhythm will go a long way in helping your body wind down at the end of the day. 

Try to keep the same bedtime as well as the same waking time each day.  Being consistent within 15-30 minutes will set yo...

Happy 4th of July!  Summer is here.  Let's go over three great tips to take care of your eyes this summer.  As dry eye suffers, there is a new challenge with every season of the year.  In the winter, the air is dry.  In the spring, there is too much pollen in the air.  Both allergies and dryness play a role in your management plan. 

In the summer, there's a lot of light and many dry eye sufferers have sensitivity to light.  And, there may be some water sports that you want to be involved in.  I've got a few tips and tricks that you can use to be more comfortable.

Tip #1) Use Protection

Protect the skin around your eyes

Have you ever wondered what sunscreen is safe for you to use around your eyes?  Especially when your eyes are dry, they tend to be sensitive to everything.  Opulence Bea...

If you have been hanging around with me for a while now, then you know that I preach the same rules over and over and over again.  In the past couple of weeks, I've been in the car a lot. So, I've had some thinking time. I started to re-evaluate my hard and fast rules.

I went to a funeral and a wedding in the same 10 day time span. To say the least, there was a bit of crying going on. And, it provided an opportunity for me to reevaluate some of the rules that I preach.

I would like to review these 4 dry eye rules.  Normally I'm quite the rule follower, but I had some reassessment time. And, it turns out that there are times when it's okay to break the rules.  Let me tell you when you can break three of them.  Then, I'll explain why you can never, ever, ever, ever, ever break one of them....

This week, I'm going to talk to you about something that probably, you never thought someone from Louisiana would teach you about.  It's something called snow blindness.  It can occur when you go outdoors and you enjoy yourself for the day when there's snow on the ground and you didn't protect your eyes properly.

When we go outdoors on a cold day I'm sure you've put on your long Johns, so  your legs will be nice and warm. You put on your winter boots, you put on your coat, you put on your hood, you put on your gloves, and finally you go outside and you enjoy yourself all day. You've protected your body, but you forgot one crucial thing because maybe it was also cloudy.  You didn't wear eye protection with an Ultra Violet (UV) blocker. 

 And the next day, when you wake up, your eyes are r...

Happy New Year!

I like to take the time at the beginning of the year to think about where I am going on purpose.   A lot of times, we feel that life is just happening to us, but that is not the case.  We are all living the life that we ourselves have created. 

Take a minute to look back over 2021 and be thankful for all that you were able to create in your own life.  There is one accomplishment in 2021 that I am most proud of (see #3 below).  But, there were tons of accomplishments along the way as well.  Celebrating your wins is part of living a full life.  You put in the work to accomplish them, so don't hold back on giving yourself the credit you deserve. Here are 3 of my wins from this year:

1. 2021 marked my 20th year since graduation from Optometry School.  It's hard to believe I h
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I want to talk to you about clean makeup products that can give your eyes a dazzling look this holiday season.  Just because you suffer from dry eyes does not mean that you have to give up on your makeup. Absolutely not, Ladies. There are products out there that you can use that will make your eyes look great and be comfortable. So let's get started. I've got five steps to having dazzling eyes this holiday season.

Step No. 1) Clean Eyes 

Begin with clean eyes. If you've been following me for a while, you know, I like you to use four simple steps to take care of your eyes every day.

Step one is to clean your lids and lashes. One of the products I recommend most is a hypochlorous spray. It kills bacteria and viruses that live on our lids and lashes and can cause redness and irritation. Th...

Happy Holidays!  I hope this is a great time of year for you.  I understand how hectic gift giving and shopping can be.  I want to make it easier for you to choose gifts that you know your friends will love, but also that will be healthy for their eyes.

Today we're going to talk about giving gifts and giving the gift of good vision.  This is what I talk about all day every day, so I'm so glad you're here to listen. We are going to talk about what you would love to give your mother, your sister, your best friend that would be super special, awesome, and help their dry eyes.

I want everyone with dry eyes to feel that they're comfortable and that they can be soothed and you can pamper them, I've got some really great gifts that'll help you to pamper not only your loved one, but also your pe...

This week marks a monumental time in my life. You see, about 3 1/2 years ago I set out on a journey to create a simple to follow plan to alleviate dry eye in patience. My goal was to simplify all the information  and consolidate it into a process to eliminate the dry eye drama from your daily life. 

This week marks the three year anniversary of the publishing of that book.  I’d love to give you a free PDF copy of the book.  Click here to get your copy. 

Alleviate Dry Eye, the Book 

The book was written specifically for you, the patient, in mind. The book is an 8 week journey to take your red, painful eyes to looking, feeling, and seeing great. Through the journey, you'll make lifestyle changes to eliminate the redness and irritation that is constantly controlling your life. 

How does...

In an earlier blog, I discussed the importance of using a warm compress mask as part of a daily treatment regimen for dry eyes.  However, some of my patients find it hard to use a mask because of a facial condition they have.  The condition is called Acne Rosacea.  It is quite common in light skinned folks or those with heritage from Northern European countries.

 Acne Rosacea causes irregular blood vessels to form on the skin.  If you have rosacea on your cheeks, there is an 80% chance that you also have rosacea on your eyelids.

 When these irregular blood vessels are close to the eyes, they bring inflammation to its front surface.  This inflammation fuels to cycle of dry eyes.

 My patients that have rosacea, are not fans of using warm compresses because they can cause these blood ves...