Today, I'm diving into the world of dry eye relief and exploring a brand-new solution that's making waves in the eyecare world. Say hello to Miebo, the recently FDA-approved medication from Bausch + Lomb, designed to treat dry eye symptoms. But before we delve into this exciting development, let's take a moment to understand the intricate layers of our tear film. 

The Three Layers of Tear Film 

Your tears are more than just salty droplets that express your emotions; they're a complex blend of three crucial components: 

• Watery Layer: This layer coats the front surface of your eye, providing moisture and nourishment. 
• Mucus Layer: The mucus layer serves as a foundation, holding the watery layer in place. 
• Oily Layer: The final layer, produced by your meibomian glands in the eyelids, a...

Focusing on these three essential habits are of the utmost importance in maintaining healthy eyes. Let's cultivate good habits around eye hygiene this month, it's important to pay special attention to the well-being of our eyes. Afterall, they are the only pair we'll ever have. 

Tip 1: Remove Your Contact Lenses 

Remove your contact lenses before any of the three "S"s. Never leave your contact lenses in your eyes while:

1. Showering
2. Swimming
3. Sleeping

Removing your lenses prior to these three S's ensures you keep your eyes in top shape. Each of these activities increases your risks of sight threatening eye infections. Always removing contacts before any of these situations will reduce your risk of complications and maintain healthy habits.

The most effective contact lens cleanser o...

Today, I'm diving into a real discussion on Demodex mites and how they cause redness and irritation to your eyelashes. Yes, you heard that right! These microscopic critters love to make themselves at home in your eyelids and lashes, and you probably never even knew it. Let's talk about the Demodex mite who too small to see with the naked eye. 

Meet Demodex: Your Uninvited Eyelash Guest 🦠 

The demodex mite lives on the lash follicles of your eyes. Everyone has a few of these tiny party crashers living on our lids and lashes. It's perfectly normal! Learn more about this condition, Demodex blepharitis, here.

But here's the kicker: sometimes, these uninvited guests become over populated on your eyelashes, and that can lead to symptoms like irritation, redness, watering, lash thickening...

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...

The eye care industry is constantly evolving. There is always research going on to make products better, more tolerable, and longer lasting. This past year, there were 3 new products that hit the market that can significantly affect your dry eye relief. Let's talk about three of the best dry eye products that came to market in 2022.

 #1) For your Eyes: Optase MGD Advanced Dry Eye Drop

Optase has been available in the US for a couple of years now. Their preservative-free Dry Eye Intense drop has been a favorite of mine for several years now.  However, in 2022, MGD Advanced came to the US market as well. 

MGD Advanced has three key ingredients:

1. Hyaluronic Acid: binds moisture to the front surface of our eye.
2. Trehalose: a naturally occurring compound that prevents drying out, or desicc
...

At the end of each year, I like to review the blog and find the best tips from the whole year and put them together in one place. This year, choosing just 3 was particularly hard. There were so many great things to talk about this year. So, I may end up doing more than Best of episode.

In this blog, I want to focus on the best dry eye relief tips we talked about this year. There were 3 that stood out to me:

• How to get dry eye relief without using eye drops
• Alternatives to Lash Lengthening Mascara
• Redness relief when you have Dry Eyes

These 3 stand out as giving some great Dry Eye relief tips that can be used all year long. Let's Review:

#1) Can you Get Dry Eye Relief without Using Eye Drops (Blog #171)

Even if you hate putting drops in your eyes, or even touching your eyes in ge...

Digital devices play a huge role in causing and exacerbating dry eye symptoms.  Unfortunately, for most of you, digital device use is an important part of how we earn your living.  You could not do your job without staring at a digital screen of some kind each day.  Eliminate Digital Eye Strain using this guide.

Optometrist and inventor, Dr. Sharmin Habib, has developed an amazing device to help you not only rest your eyes.  But, the device also stimulates tear production and cues you to meditate.  What an awesome tool to use to soothe your tired eyes.

I have a device I've been able to utilize at home for about a month now.  The device is available for patients to pre-order now though.  It's super exciting. And, I want to tell you all about it.

Convenient Dry Eye Relief:

• Fully ad...

In an earlier blog, I discussed the importance of using a warm compress mask as part of a daily treatment regimen for dry eyes.  However, some of my patients find it hard to use a mask because of a facial condition they have.  The condition is called Acne Rosacea.  It is quite common in light skinned folks or those with heritage from Northern European countries.

 Acne Rosacea causes irregular blood vessels to form on the skin.  If you have rosacea on your cheeks, there is an 80% chance that you also have rosacea on your eyelids.

 When these irregular blood vessels are close to the eyes, they bring inflammation to its front surface.  This inflammation fuels to cycle of dry eyes.

 My patients that have rosacea, are not fans of using warm compresses because they can cause these blood ves...

Over the last few years, the number and styles of warm compress masks have exploded.  There are masks that you microwave, plug in to a computer, track with an app, use once and throw away, and even a mask you can wear while continuing to watch TV or scroll social media.  It's amazing what our imaginations can design.

Using a warm compress mask is part of the 4-simple steps I recommend to all of my patients when starting a dry eye treatment regimen.   

I recommend using four simple steps daily to treat your dry eyes.  If you're not sure what I mean by each of these steps, you can refer to this blog for a deeper explanation.  Here's an overview of the steps:

1. Hydrate: Use an artificial tear to refresh and replenish your tear film.
2. Harmonize:  Cleanse the bacteria populating you
...