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...

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...

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...

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...

In the clinic, I get asked this question all day long, "What's causing my eyes to be so dry?" The short answer is that dry eye is multifactorial. It comes from many different causes. Some of the things we have no control over, like your gender and your age.  Women, especially those over 40, are more likely to have dry eye than men. And, we can't change our gender or age.  But, there are a ton of causes of dry eye that we can control.   

Let's talk about what you can take care or change to help our dry eyes. I like to break this down into three parts. I called it the EYE Method.  The first is E for Eyes. The Y is for Your Health. And, the final E is for the Environment.  Let's look at each part.  Over the next 3 weeks, I'll break down the nitty gritty of controlling each of the parts of the ...

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...

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 into your eye...

This week marks a monumental time in my life. You see, about 3 1/2 years ago I set out on a journey to create a simple to follow plan to alleviate dry eye in patience. My goal was to simplify all the information  and consolidate it into a process to eliminate the dry eye drama from your daily life. 

This week marks the three year anniversary of the publishing of that book.  I’d love to give you a free PDF copy of the book.  Click here to get your copy. 

Alleviate Dry Eye, the Book 

The book was written specifically for you, the patient, in mind. The book is an 8 week journey to take your red, painful eyes to looking, feeling, and seeing great. Through the journey, you'll make lifestyle changes to eliminate the redness and irritation that is constantly controlling your life. 

How does...

I'm going to talk today about a question that my patients ask me all of the time: "How can I wear my contact lenses during allergy season?" "They're itchy, they're red, they run water all over the place, I don't know what to do, I can't get my contacts in!" I've got three tips for you today on how to wear your contact lenses during allergy season.

Tip #1) Take a Break

Tip number one: Take a break! You don't have to wear your contact lenses every day! I know you don't want to hear this, but maybe just during this season, save them for special occasions. Wear them occasionally. Wear them less time during the day, take them out when you get home, or only wear them when you're going out. Take a little break.

Tip #2) Wear a Daily-disposable Contact Lens

Number two, wear a daily-disposabl...

Happy Fall Y'all!

Fall is here.  Lots of people tell me that fall is their favorite season.  Usually, after the incredible heat of a Louisiana summer, we are ready to enjoy some chill in the air.  Of course, with a change in seasons, there are different things that dry eye sufferers need to take note of.  I've got a few tips to help your eyes stay comfortable during this fall season. 

Control Your Outdoor Environment

This time of year, people are usually out (thanks COVID) enjoying football games, apple picking, pumpkin patches, hayrides, and maybe even a bonfire.  With all these fun outdoor activities, what could go wrong for a dry eye sufferer?

Allergies

Anytime there is a change in season, there is a change in the plant life surrounding you.  So, perhaps you weren't allergic to ...