It's almost Labor Day weekend, and many of you may be preparing for travel.  I have covered how to travel with dry eyes on a couple of blogs, but I wanted to give an updated version here.  Next week, I am traveling abroad, so I wanted to include a couple of tips for longer airplane travel and a warm compress mask that didn't require a microwave or an electric plugin.

It is very important not to skip out on your eye care routine even when you're 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.  And, if you'd like to learn more about some great travel read...

This week's blog is a continuation of the discussion I had with Dr. Pavly Moawad.  A. Pavly Moawad, MD, MRCSEd(Ophth), FICO is a Lecturer and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Cairo University Hospital in Egypt. In her ophthalmology practice she specializes in seeing patients with Sjogren's Syndrome. She has graciously agreed to share her vast knowledge on the subject of Sjogren's Syndrome with my readers.

In honor of World Sjogren's Day, July 23, 2022, I wanted to take a deeper dive into the types of Sjogren's Syndrome.  And, give some tips on treating dry eye disease in relation to Sjogren's Syndrome.  If you missed the other two posts about Sjogren's Syndrome, please review the symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome in this blog and how to treat dry eye disease in patients with Sjogren's Syndrome ...

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 had some thinking time. I started to re-evaluate my hard and fast rules.

I would like to review these 4 dry eye rules. Last week, I reviewed 2 of them.  If you haven't read about those two, please check it out here.  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.

Rule #1)  Never Use Waterproof Mascara

Why is it bad for you?

It's a rule because waterproof mascara contains toxins. The ingredients that makes it stick onto your eyes makes it hard to remove. Some of it stays...

If you have dry eyes, it's important to understand why CLEAN makeup is so important for your eyes and body.  Check out some of the basic ideas around Clean makeup in this blog, and listen to a true Clean beauty expert weigh in on the importance of these products.  Switching to wearing 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 in 2022.  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 workda...

This week's blog is a continuation of the discussion I had with Dr. Pavly Moawad.  A. Pavly Moawad, MD, MRCSEd(Ophth), FICO is a Lecturer and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Cairo University Hospital in Egypt. In her ophthalmology practice she specializes in seeing patients with Sjogren's Syndrome. She has graciously agreed to share her vast knowledge on the subject of Sjogren's Syndrome with my readers.

In this part of the interview, I wanted to highlight how the eye doctor can determine whether you should be further evaluated for Sjogren's Syndrome, and the best treatment options for these patients.

Is there an Eye Exam to Determine Sjogren's Syndrome?

Sjogren's Syndrome attacks the glands that make secretions like tears and saliva.  So, the best test to determine if a patient has Sjogr...

I am honored to have a special guest with me, Dr. A Pavly Moawad, MD, MRCSEd(Ophth), FICO. She is a Lecturer and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Cairo University Hospital in Egypt. In her ophthalmology practice she specializes in seeing patients with Sjogren's Syndrome. 

What is Sjogren's Syndrome?

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease. The main characteristics are dryness in the eyes, mouth, skin, and vagina.  Sjogren's syndrome attacks the glands that make secretions which lubricate our different parts of our body. But, the main two organs are the eyes and mouth. 

How is Sjogren's syndrome defined?

• Using lubricating eye drops more than three times per day
• Experiencing these symptoms more than three months
• Also has dry mouth

What's the next step in a Sjogren's Diagnosis?

These days, there are lots of beauty trends focused around eyelash length.  It seems to be, the longer the length the more glamourous or more beautiful.  As women, we may want to follow the fad.  But when you suffer from dry eyes, is it safe to follow it?

What is the ideal eyelash length?

Eyelashes play and important role in protecting the eye.  ​Length is important. Your natural length is designed to suit the level of the brow bone. They are intended to deflect wind, debris, and allergens.  Lashes that are too long can be just as detrimental to your eyes as lashes that are too short.  

The actual ideal lash length is one third of the width of your eye.  This is the best length to ensure your eyes are properly protected.

​How does the mascara lengthen the lashes?

There are 2 ways to a...

I have something special to announce.  One of my favorite Clean beauty brands, Twenty/Twenty Beauty has just released their first CLEAN mascara. It is called Clean Sweep Mascara. 

Why do you need a CLEAN Mascara?

Mascara is one of women's favorite beauty products.  It is reported that the average American woman applies mascara 9 times a week.  That's more than once a day.  And, once it is on the lashes, generally, women leave it on all day long.  

Women love for mascara to make their lashes look darker, longer, and for the look to last all day.  When you have something so close to your eyes all day long, you need to make sure it's healthy for your eyes.  You don't want the ingredients to be toxic. And, you don't want the mascara to flake off into your eyes.

What is CLEAN Beauty?

In ...

Dry eye disease is multifactorial. This means that it comes from many areas in our body and in your environment. There are several factors that worsen dry eye disease that we cannot change. These are gender and age. Females over the age of 40 are more susceptible to having dry eye disease than others. Unfortunately, we cannot change these factors. 

What's the best approach to dry eye treatment? 

There are many other dry eye risk factors that can be changed. The best plan to treating dry eye disease is taking a multifactorial approach. In my own patients, I recommend taking 3 three pillar approach to treating dry eye disease. These pillars are: 

E: Eyes – customizing the 4-simple steps of daily eye care for the patients lifestyle. This daily regimen of eye care brings down the overall in...

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...