If your eyes often feel tired, irritated, or dry, especially after screen time, you’re not alone. Millions of people silently suffer from dry eye symptoms every day. The good news? Relief doesn't have to be complicated.

As I explained in my article for Optometry360, there's a simple, daily routine anyone can follow to preserve their vision and comfort for the long haul. I call it the 4 Hs: Hydrate, Hygiene, Heat, and Heal. Get the products in a convenient kit here.

1. Hydrate – Inside and Out

Healthy eyes need moisture. Start by drinking plenty of water each day to support your tear film from the inside. Then, apply preservative-free artificial tears as needed. You may need more, especially if you spend hours each day on digital devices.

2. Hygiene – Clean Lids, Clear Vision

Your eyel...

Every day, I witness the biggest thief of visual performance in our modern lifestyles. Our fast-paced, screen-driven world is straining our vision in ways we never imagined. Digital devices, glare from screens and lighting, and long hours of focused work contribute to dry eye disease and visual fatigue, making it harder for our eyes to function at their best. Yet, despite these challenges, 1 in 10 adults has not had an eye exam in the last five years.

Isn’t It Time to Prioritize Your Eye Health?

Your eyes are working for you every moment of the day, but are you giving them the care they deserve? Here’s how you can start protecting your vision for a lifetime:

✅ Schedule Regular Eye Exams – Don’t wait until you have symptoms. Routine check-ups can catch issues early and keep your vi...

This winter has been anything but typical. Across the South, we've seen record temperatures and snowfall in places that rarely experience it. But for many of us, it’s not just the cold weather that’s affecting our eyes. The bigger problem is the indoor heat.

Why Does Indoor Heating Make Dry Eye Worse?

When temperatures drop, we naturally turn up the heat indoors. But heaters remove moisture from the air. And this creates a dry environment causing your eyes to sting, burn, and feel irritated. If you've noticed your dry eye symptoms worsening recently, your heating system might be the culprit.

Simple Ways to Keep Your Eyes Comfortable

 The good news? You don’t have to suffer through the season. Here are a few easy ways to combat dry indoor air and keep your eyes feeling their be...

Most people say that vision is their most valued sense. They would protect it over all of their other senses. Yet, we do very little in our daily lives to ensure our eyes are working properly. We expect our vision to be sharp to perform for us, but we don't think about steps we should take to support our eyes.

Every day, we need to support our bodies. We need to get enough sleep, eat healthy foods and bring nutrition to our cells, and we need to exercise. We also take steps to care for other parts of our bodies like out skin, hair, and teeth. 

We all know it is important to take care of our faces. We take 4 steps on a daily basis to ensure our beauty and improve our skin. One to two times a day, we care for the skin on our face by:

• Cleansing to get rid of dirt and oils
• Toning to bala...

It's fall! The weather has that crispy quality again. We can get out our sweaters and enjoy being outdoors without sweating. 

Fall is a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors and usually, there are lots of opportunities to do so. You may be going to football games or spending the day at a fall festival. You may have gotten lost in your local corn maze or spent the day picking apples.

Being outdoors is great this time of year, but as a dry eye sufferer, it has it's challenges. Let's explore the best ways to prepare yourself for spending time outdoors this fall.

Protect your Eyes from the Sun

The sun and wind can still irritate your already challenged eyes. It's important to protect your eyes from UV light. And, sense it can also be windy this time of year, be sure to find a sunglass...

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...

One of the biggest complaints my dry eye patients talk to me about is redness.  Across the board, no matter their age or gender, patients hate having red eyes.  It's just embarrassing.  And, in truth, other people do notice when your eyes are red.  

Let's face it, the eyes are the windows to your soul.  And although rose colored glasses may give you a sunnier disposition, rose colored eyes do not.  There is no beauty in red eyes.  And, we don't like the story that red eyes tend to relate about activities we may have engaged in the night before.

Instead let's concentrate on how to make your dry eyes white again. This week especially, only a few days before Easter, you don't want to be mistaken for an Easter bunny.

Why are your eyes red when they're dry?

Well, dry eye is driven by inf...

A lot of patients come to my office because their dry eyes are affecting their ability to work.  Some days your eyes may be bothering you so much that you just can't continue to work for another minute. What are you going to do now?

 I don't know if you know this, but I spend a lot of time on the computer myself.  I wrote a book a few years ago.  I write articles for Optometric journals and prepare lectures to present to colleagues.  I also have a blog and a website. All of these things can cause me to be on the computer into the wee hours. Often my eyes own eyes are tired, and I feel like I just can't keep going.

I've found some things that really help.  I have done a number of blogs to help you adjust your workstation and help you keep working.  And, I've prepared a Guide to help you...