#193: The Worst Thing you can do while Wearing your Contact Lenses
When you wear contact lenses there is always an increased risk of eye infections. In this blog, I'd like to explore the biggest risk factor for eye infections related to contact lenses.
When bacteria gets trapped under contact lenses it leads to infections called ulcers. An ulcer occurs when bacteria begin to create a crater in the front surface of the eye. When they are trapped underneath a contact lens it provides a nice, warm, safe home for them to burrow in and make a big infection.
The bacteria creates a hole in the front surface of your eye, and if you don't see an eye doctor quickly enough and get treated, it could lead to a sight threatening scar. These are very serious infections. They differ significantly from pink eye.
The symptoms of a contact lens related ulcer...
#192: Best Tips to Enjoy Summer with Dry Eyes
Summer is a great time of the year to enjoy spending time with your friends and family outdoors. This can be especially challenging for dry eye sufferers since they often are sensitive to wind and sunlight. Let’s discuss three ways to protect your eyes this summer.
#1) Protect Your Eyes
Wearing your sunglasses to protect our eyes from UV rays is important any time of the year. Harmful UV rays have been linked to cataract creation and an increased risk of development of macular degeneration. In the summer, it is extra important to wear sunglasses because there are more hours of daylight.
When you have dry eyes, your eyes tend to be more sensitive to light and to wind. I like to wear sunglasses whenever I'm outdoors year-round, but especially in the summertime. Make sure that your sun...
#191: How to Get Rid of Eye Irritation from Makeup
In the last blog, I shared with you the ways in which your eye makeup could be causing dry eye disease. If you missed it, please click here. In this blog, I will discuss three ways you can treat your eyes when the dryness eye disease is attributed to makeup.
No. 1) AVOID TOXIC INGREDIENTS
The United States bans only 11 ingredients from the product lists of cosmetics. However, the European Union bans over 1600. Many of your favorite products contain ingredients that are toxic to the ocular surface.
In order to avoid toxins, you will need to start reading ingredient labels. I’ve compiled a list of the ingredients you need to eliminate from your makeup in this handy list. You can download the list here. These are particularly toxic to your eyes.
No. 2) REMOVE YOUR MAKEUP
Re...
#190: How Does Makeup Wear Cause Dry Eye?
Patients come to me every day because they can no longer wear their eye makeup. Their eyes are irritated, red, watery. They apply their makeup and later find it running down their face. They're frustrated because they can't wear the products that they love.
This happens so often. I want to give you three reasons that this is happening:
REASON #1) INFLAMMATION
Some eye makeups cause inflammation to your eyes. Have you ever put your mascara on and then your eyes started to burn? This is happening because the ingredients in that mascara were irritating to your eyes.
Did you know that women apply mascara nine times a week on average? That's more than once a day. Women are applying mascara multiple times a day. And if that mascara contains irritating ingredient, it will cause inflamm...
#189: 5 Eye Care Myths Busted by the TFOS Lifestyle Reports
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...
#188: LipiFlow: A Treatment for Dry Eye Relief
LipiFlow is an in-office treatment for dry eye disease to reduce the scratchiness and irritation of the eye. The device is used to loosen the oils that may be trapped on the oil glands in you eyelids. These glands are called meibomian glands, and when the oils inside of them get trapped, we call it meibomian gland disease.
During the treatment the trapped oils are melted and released from the glands. The oils are able to come out onto the front surface of your eye, protect your tears from drying out and give you stable vision that doesn't fluctuate when you're blinking. The procedure also calms down the redness, irritation, and eliminates that scratchy feeling that you might be having on your eyes.
Since I've been performing LipiFlow treatments in my office for years, I'm going to sh...
#186: Ivizia: A New Ingredient in Artificial Tears for the U.S.
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...
#185: Best Dry Eye Makeup Bag
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...
#184: New Dry Eye Products from 2022
The eye care industry is constantly evolving. There is always research going on to make products better, more tolerable, and longer lasting. This past year, there were 3 new products that hit the market that can significantly affect your dry eye relief. Let's talk about three of the best dry eye products that came to market in 2022.
#1) For your Eyes: Optase MGD Advanced Dry Eye Drop
Optase has been available in the US for a couple of years now. Their preservative-free Dry Eye Intense drop has been a favorite of mine for several years now. However, in 2022, MGD Advanced came to the US market as well.
MGD Advanced has three key ingredients:
- Hyaluronic Acid: binds moisture to the front surface of our eye.
- Trehalose: a naturally occurring compound that prevents drying out, or desicc ...
#180: How to get Dry Eye Relief in the Winter Season
I like to refer to the winter season as Dry Eye Season to my patients. In most parts of the country, winter is the driest season. When the temperature is cold outside, the moisture comes out of the air. Then, we turn our heaters on indoors to combat those cooler temps. Now, the indoor air is dry as well.
It is important this time of year to provide your eyes with extra moisture. I like to think about hydrating my eyes in 3 ways:
Check out these easy steps you can take to get Dry Eye Relief this Winter...
#1) Hydrate from the Inside
Make sure you are continuing to do the things that are good for your eyes and your health during the winter season. Continuing to take your omega 3 fatty acid supplement is a great idea. I hav...
