In 2021, I was invited to serve as a member of the Public Awareness Committee for the TFOS Lifestyle Workshop. This is a global initiative where doctors, scientists, and researchers come together to gather information and make recommendations. The purpose of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society’s newest workshop was to produce evidence-based education about the lifestyle choices patients are making which cause ocular surface disease.  

The purpose of these TFOS workshops is to gather the known evidence-based research and compile it. This helps to gather a consensus from research to help guide treatment protocols. It also answers questions about disease progression and uncovers areas that have not yet been fully researched. In fact, each subcommittee report has a section to suggest whe...

Traveling can be a little tricky when you have sensitive eyes or suffer from dry eye disease. There seems to be added environmental stressors around every corner when you are in a new setting. I travel often and I've developed a little kit of products that I'm always sure to grab when I leave town.

The last time I traveled I added a new product to the kit.  It's definitely going to be a staple of my daily care regimen whether I'm on the go or not.  I love this product so much that I don't just use it when I travel and its brand new, so I'm excited to talk to you about it. It's called Neutra Wipe from Tear Restore.

First, let's review the 4-simple steps to dry eye care:

1. Hydrate with an artificial tear
2. Harmonize with a lid and lash cleanser
3. Heat with a warm compress mask
4. Heal w
...

Ivizia is a new over-the-counter artificial tear that's just hit the U.S. market in 2022. It's different from any other tears on the market before. This is an artificial tear, so it's an over-the-counter product that you can pick up at your drugstore or local pharmacy.

#1) Ivizia has two great ingredients for your dry eyes. 

Hyaluronic Acid

Now I know all you ladies know about hyaluronic acid (or HA) is because you love it when it's an ingredient in your skincare products. HA binds water to your cells and puffs them up and makes them more plump. You love having HA on your face so that your skin looks dewey and fresh.

You'll love this same ingredient on your eyes as well. The HA will bind moisture to the front surface of your eyes and make them feel more comfor...

This week I'm talking about the best makeup kit for Dry Eye Sufferers. I love this makeup kit from twenty/twenty beauty. It just came out during the 2022 holiday season. It's still available on their website and it is so beautiful and has the greatest products in it. 

The most important step to any beauty routine is removing your makeup. If you don't yet have a favorite makeup remover, please download the Guide to Makeup Removers for Sensitive Eyes here.

Let's go over each of these four products and review why they are safe to use when you have dry or sensitive eyes. The makeup kit contains: a mascara, an eyeshadow, and lash and brow growth serum, and a special Hypochlorous cleanser.

#1)Clean Sweep Mascara

This mascara is great for those of us who have dry eyes because there aren...

The makeup that you put around our eyes matters.  You can look great and take care of your eyes so that at the end of the night, your makeup is not streaming down your face.  No one wants to have red and irritated eyes during the party and especially not the next day either.

I've got 4 great products to make your holiday makeup look great.  And, it will be healthy for your eyes as well. All you need is: eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and eye brow gel. You'll be ready to step out to any holiday affair.

#1) Eye Shadow

There are a couple of things to avoid when using eye shadow. 

Do not use GLITTERY eyeshadow. The glitter can fall into your eyes and create microscopic scratches on your eye.  Your eyes will be red and irritated from it. If you need the glitter to make you FEEL GLAM, us...

Have you heard about using scleral contact lenses when you have dry eye disease? They're a great idea for dry eye sufferers. Let's review three reasons why scleral lenses work well for patients who have dry eye disease.

#1) The Shape of a Scleral Lens

Scleral lenses are a little larger than a soft contact lens. The lens goes over your eye from the white part of the eye, sclera, to the other side just like a soft contact lens would. But, the difference with a scleral contact lens is its rigid material. 

The rigid material gives the lens a fish bowl shape that vaults over the front of your eye. You fill the lens with sterile saline solution. Then when you put it on your eye, the saline bathes your eye in moisture all day long.

The lenses work really well to keep your eyes lubricated an...

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, and they're healthy for their eyes.

This holiday season, give gifts that support good vision.  These gifts are great to give tp 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 receive the gift of  comfortable eyes and good vision. Dry eyes can be soothed and pampered just like sore muscles. I've got some really great gifts that'll help you to pamper not only your loved one, but also your peepers.

#1) Umay Rest

 The Umay REST device is portable, convenient, and easy to use.  The preset routine...

We are talking about three myths about dry eye disease. This blog is dedicated to Myth #2: "All dry eye drops are the same." New patients come in to see me all the time and say, "I've tried everything out there." This basically means that they went to the drugstore, and they picked up Visine and one other generic artificial tear. They tell me they tried them both. Their eyes felt great for about five minutes, but returned to the same level of dryness right away.

Even when talking about products that you can buy at the drugstore, not all dry eye drops are the same. There are 3 types of over-the-counter (OTC) products.

 #1) Artificial Tears

In fact, even the ones that you get over the counter are different. You can go to the drugstore and buy artificial tears. If they come in a bottle, th...

Today, I'm going to talk to you about the first of three myths about dry eye disease. Stay tuned over the coming weeks for the other two myths.

Myth #1:

Dry Eye Disease symptoms will just go away on their own.

Truth:

Dry eye is a disease. It's called dry eye disease (DED).  And, it's chronic and progressive just like other disease that you might have, like diabetes or high blood pressure.

DED is chronic. You will need to treat it for a lifetime. It doesn't just go away on its own. So it needs to be treated long term. It's best to make simple shifts to your lifestyle to treat it. If you make your treatment regimen a part of your daily care routine (like you do for brushing your teeth) it is easy to do it over your lifetime. 

Check out the 4-simple steps of daily dry eye care here.  ...