Next week is the official start of Spring. Woohoo!

I couldn't wait for this day to get here.  As a dry eye sufferer myself, I have a harder time dealing with artificial heat and that lack of moisture in the air than I do with pollen.

However, if you're an allergy sufferer, you may be hiding inside today. I want to go over three ways to help you wear your contact lenses during the spring season. The three ways to continue wearing contact lenses even though it's allergy season are: prevent, cleanse and dispose.

No. 1) Prevent

Prevent the pollen from getting in your eyes. You could do this as simply as wearing sunglasses.  This would mean that any time you're outdoors, you wear sunglasses.  Utilizing a style with side shields would prevent wind, pollen, and dust from getting...

Happy Mari Gras!

It's Mardi Gras season here in Louisiana.  And, Mardi Gras season gives the folks here in Louisiana one more thing to celebrate.  There are parties, parades, masquerade balls, and lots of fun to be had.  Everyone likes to get dressed up for it and wear beaded necklaces and fun masks. 

Since there is a lot of masquerading going on, it's the perfect time to talk about an eye condition that often masquerades as dry eyes - seasonal allergies. Or, I should say that allergies sometimes aren't the cause of your symptoms and it's really dry eye that's the underlying problem.

My patients often come in to see me and talk to me about symptoms of redness and watering. Then, they down play the symptoms by stating, "It's just my allergies". That's how it...

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,...

February is the coldest month of the year in most parts of the US. It's colder than January or December, so it's important to talk about how to protect your eyes from the cold winter air.

Dry eyes are already sensitive to temperature changes and wind.  The cold air really irritates dry eyes, and it usually makes them water. That's your body's protective mechanism to defend against the irritant of the cold.  The best way to protect your eyes while outdoors during the winter months is to wear sunglasses or goggle that will cover your eyes from cold or wind.

Once you're back indoors, you can also rinse them with preservative-free artificial tears to clear the irritants.  I previously covered everything your need to know about the best sunglasses when you have dry eyes here...

It's almost Valentine's Day!!  Let's talk about how to make your eyes look gorgeous for your date.

There are five steps you can take to make your eyes pop, even when they're dry or sensitive, when you're out for Valentine's day. On this night especially, you don't want to hide your eyes because you're embarrassed by their redness.  Eyes are the window to the soul.  And, we all know that making eye contact is key in building relationships.  And, Valentine's Day is all about relationships.  So, let's stop hiding our eyes, and get them looking gorgeous.

STEP 1) LET THEM POP

You're ready to look great on your Valentine's Day date.  You don't want your leads to make you appear sleepy.  Use one drop of Upneeq at least 20 minutes before "go time". ...

I've been talking a lot about how Winter is a dry eye season.  There are many factors in your environment and also in your lifestyle that can be significantly affecting how your eyes feel this time of year.  

If you haven't been following along with this series about how to help your dry eyes feel more comfortable this time of year, you can catch up with these blogs: self-care, indoor adjustments, and outdoor adjustments.   

1) Diet

Now let's talk about your diet this time of year, especially with the holidays, you probably ate all sorts of things that aren't part of your normal diet. There's usually lots of potlucks and people bringing in little treats from home this time of year.

When you're at the office, you may be eating too much sugar, wheat, dairy,...

In the winter season, it's important to take care of your body so that your body takes care of your eyes.  Last week, we discussed all the ways in which winter season is the hardest on your eyes.  Taking care of you eyes is crucial so they  don't feel dry, itchy red and scratchy all season long, like some of my patients complain about.  If you winterize your self care, your eyes will be happy, and you can live your best life. So let's dive in.

Keep reading to learn how to get the best sleep and why sleep is so important this season.  Then, next week, I'll dive into how to eat what you want and control your dry eye symptoms at the same time.

SLEEP

Stick to a Sleep Schedule

It's essential during the winter season to stick to a schedule. Bedtime is just as...

Winter season is the driest time of the year.  So today, I'm talking about how to keep your dry eyes happy during the winter season.  Most of us are spending the winter days indoors. 

Winter is Dry Eye Season 

Outdoors the air is dry. The temperature is cold to freezing. Generally, there's not a lot of humidity. It could be windy. The days are short and there's less sunlight inside. Inside it's dry, hot with artificial heat and fire places.  Smoke and scents from candles can be very irritating to sensitive eyes.

What are the two things that you can do to help your eyes feel more moist?

#1) Perk up the Air Quality to Help Your Dry Eyes

The air quality can really irritate your eyes since you're spending lots of time in these dry environments.  Utilize...

Step 1: Make up remover

  Step 2: Cleanse the Face

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...