How Facial Rosacea Triggers Dry Eye & What You Can Do About It 

If you have rosacea on your face and you’re also experiencing eyes that are dry, stinging, or burning, you're not alone. I personally suffer from facial rosacea and many of my dry eye patients do as well. These two conditions are more connected than you might think. 

In my clinic, I regularly see patients frustrated by facial redness and irritated eyes. What many don’t realize is that facial rosacea can directly impact your eye health through a condition called ocular rosacea. 

What Is Rosacea? 

Facial rosacea appears as flushed cheeks, visible red blood vessels, or bumps on the cheeks and chin. This is more common in people with fair skin. The redness is caused from irregular blood vessels on the cheeks, nose, and eyelids...

Have you ever noticed red, irritated eyelids or an itchy, scratchy feeling at the base of your lashes? You might have been told you have Demodex blepharitis, or DB. Although DB may sound concerning, it’s very common. And, there are effective treatments available. 

What Is Demodex Blepharitis? 

Demodex blepharitis is a common type of eyelid inflammation caused by an overgrowth of Demodex mites. tiny These mites are tiny micro-organisms that live in your eyelash follicles. Everyone has some Demodex mites, but when their numbers increase too much, they can lead to irritation and inflammation. 

Signs and Symptoms of Demodex Blepharitis: 

🔴 Red, swollen eyelids 
🤕 Itchy or scratchy sensation at the lash line 
⚡ Burning or irritation, especially in the morning 
🕵️‍♂️ Crusty debris at the bas...

Winter can be the driest season of the year in many locations around the world. Having your heater on indoors combined with the lack of humidity outdoors can put a strain on your eyes ability to keep up with keeping themselves moisturized.

Here are a couple of tips to give your eyes relief during the Winter season.

1. Stay Hydrated: Winter air tends to be dry, both indoors and outdoors. Ensure you stay well-hydrated by drinking an adequate amount of water throughout the day. Proper hydration supports tear production, helping to keep your eyes moist and comfortable.

   The dry eye drink, is a sugar-free supplement that can increase your hydration 2-3 times more than by drinking water alone. This is an additive that you can add to your water to keep you hyper hydrated. Check out this blog p...

The cause of Dry Eye Disease is multifactorial.  This means that the factors that make it worse come from all around us.  It is our lifestyle, or the things you're, or are not, doing on a daily basis that can either improve or hinder your dry eye symptoms. 

Last month, I did a webinar with Scope Eyecare to explore how to deal with Dry Eye Disease while you're working.  Your computer and other digital devices can play a big role in how dry your eyes feel. Download the guide to Digital Eye Strain Relief here.

In this webinar, we took a deep dive into:

• How to know if you have dry eyes. Yes, there are tons of tests your doctor can do, but you can do this quick test to find out for yourself.
• Blink regularly and intentionally.  Close your eyes and intentionally squeeze the lids closed for
...

A few weeks ago, we talked about Demodex mites in the eyelashes and how I don't recommend the use of tea tree oil anymore to remove those Demodex mites. There is a new study out of Harvard Medical School indicating that Tea Tree oil is toxic to the cells of the meibomian glands. You can read the original article here.

Demodex mites normally live on human eyelids and lashes. These are microscopic and you can't see them with the naked eye. Below is a super magnified image of the Demodex mite. They have little mouths and they bury themselves inside of the lash follicle. Their little tails hang out at the top of the follicle. If you know you have an overgrowth of Demodex mites you will need an in office treatment or use a daily cleanser to get rid of them.

How do you know if you have a Dem...

Women want to have beautiful eyelashes.  Sometimes, they even want to wear eyelash extensions to have a more glamorous look.  My patients ask me a lot of questions about wearing eyelash extensions.

Often, my patient's eyelashes aren't as long and glamorous as they used to be. Dry eye occurs when the meibomian glands, which are the oil gland in our lids, aren't working properly. The glands aren't producing the oil that coats the tear film.  The oils also condition the eyelashes and makes them stronger. 

Since many of my patient's lashes are short and tend to be brittle, they are always asking me about wearing extensions.  At this time, there is only one eyelash extension I can say yes to. 

The problem is that a lot of the lash extensions on the market these days will do harm to your dry ...

Demodex mites.  This is a tricky topic to bring up with my patients.  The truth of the matter is that with age, we all have some Demodex mites living on our eyelashes.  For some reason (science still isn't sure why) these mites are normal to have on our lashes.

Yet, this topic always gives my patients the heebie-geebies.  I want to reassure you all that having them on your lids doesn't mean you are an unclean person.

And, going overboard trying to rid them from your eyes can cause more problems than just the irritation of having them.  So, slow down.  Don't freak out.  Let's discuss these Demodex mites....

What are Demodex Mites?

Demodex is a small mite that buries itself into the follicles of the eyelashes and eyebrows.  This mite is in the same family as the mite that causes man...