Today, I am thrilled to welcome Rachel Downey, a health and wellness advocate, to discuss how to avoid toxins in personal care products. Rachel, a mom of three, began her journey eight years ago, driven by her desire to make safer choices for her children. 

Rachel shares that her journey started when her daughter experienced reactions to certain products, prompting her to explore and switch to safer alternatives.

 What's a "Swap"?

Rachel emphasizes the importance of making "swaps," or replacing commonly used products with safer options. This is the simple act of swapping out one of your regular personal care items for another that contains less toxins. Overtime, using one product that is better for your health after another, you can notice significant changes to the way your skin and ey...

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...

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 ...

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 meaningful as the time that you ...

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 a humidifier to add soothing m...

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 Optometry School.  It's hard to believe I h
...

As 2021 comes to a close, we have a lot of things to be thankful for at Alleviate Dry Eye.  It has been an amazing year of innovation in dry eye care.  We have seen new products and medications being brought to the market for the benefit of our patients.

At Alleviate Dry Eye, I have been working on some new resources for you to help you take back the control of your dry eyes.  In January, there will be an opportunity to learn how your lifestyle choices are affecting how your dry eyes feel.  Stay tuned for a webinar in January.  You'll have the opportunity to get registered for it soon.

Let's take a walk down memory lane and review the 3 best blogs from 2021:

#103 Can I Wear Eye Makeup when My Eyes Are Dry?

You can wear makeup when you have dry eyes.  You may need to make some changes...

This week is Thanksgiving!  It is one of my favorite holidays.  I love to take the time to think back and remember all the things I can be grateful for in my life.  In this blog, I'll reveal the three things that I am thankful for in the dry eye world that are new this year in 2021.

#1) Innovation in Eye Care

There have been several new drugs that have gained FDA approval in the past couple of years to treat Dry Eye Disease.  The newest drug to receive approval is Tyrvaya.  It was just FDA approved in October.  It is a nasal spray for the treatment of dry eye disease.

A nasal spray!?!?!? Wow.  You won't need to be putting more drops in eyes that sting and burn.  Yay.  It's something completely different.  This nasal spray that stimulates your body to make its own real natural tears.  ...

All of the fashion magazines and blogs have been obsessed with lashes in the past few years.  It seems like everyone wants longer, stronger, and more gorgeous looking lashes.  If you've followed me for a while, then you know that I don't recommend gluing lashes to your eyes.  I don't recommend using false lashes that you glue on either to the base of your lid or to the individual lash themselves because most of the glues are irritating to dry eyes.

But, never fear ladies, there are products you can use to achieve those gorgeous looking lashes.  And, the products can be beneficial to your eyes as well.  I'd like to introduce you to a product from Twenty/Twenty Beauty.   It is a lash and brow serum that moisturizes the hair follicle, and I absolutely love it. I've been using it for a couple...