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...

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...

We are talking about three myths about dry eye disease. This blog is dedicated to Myth #2: "All dry eye drops are the same." New patients come in to see me all the time and say, "I've tried everything out there." This basically means that they went to the drugstore, and they picked up Visine and one other generic artificial tear. They tell me they tried them both. Their eyes felt great for about five minutes, but returned to the same level of dryness right away.

Even when talking about products that you can buy at the drugstore, not all dry eye drops are the same. There are 3 types of over-the-counter (OTC) products.

 #1) Artificial Tears

In fact, even the ones that you get over the counter are different. You can go to the drugstore and buy artificial tears. If they come in a bottle, th...

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 been in the car a lot. So, I've had some thinking time. I started to re-evaluate my hard and fast rules.

I went to a funeral and a wedding in the same 10 day time span. To say the least, there was a bit of crying going on. And, it provided an opportunity for me to reevaluate some of the rules that I preach.

I would like to review these 4 dry eye rules.  Normally I'm quite the rule follower, but I had some reassessment time. And, 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....

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:

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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...

I've been talking a lot about how Winter is a dry eye season.  There are many factors in your environment and also in your lifestyle that can be significantly affecting how your eyes feel this time of year.  

If you haven't been following along with this series about how to help your dry eyes feel more comfortable this time of year, you can catch up with these blogs: self-care, indoor adjustments, and outdoor adjustments.   

1) Diet

Now let's talk about your diet this time of year, especially with the holidays, you probably ate all sorts of things that aren't part of your normal diet. There's usually lots of potlucks and people bringing in little treats from home this time of year.

When you're at the office, you may be eating too much sugar, wheat, dairy, alcohol, and caffeine. Just ...

I want to talk to you about clean makeup products that can give your eyes a dazzling look this holiday season.  Just because you suffer from dry eyes does not mean that you have to give up on your makeup. Absolutely not, Ladies. There are products out there that you can use that will make your eyes look great and be comfortable. So let's get started. I've got five steps to having dazzling eyes this holiday season.

Step No. 1) Clean Eyes 

Begin with clean eyes. If you've been following me for a while, you know, I like you to use four simple steps to take care of your eyes every day.

Step one is to clean your lids and lashes. One of the products I recommend most is a hypochlorous spray. It kills bacteria and viruses that live on our lids and lashes and can cause redness and irritation. Th...

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.  ...

Today I have a very special guest with me, Dr. Diane Hilal Campo. She is the founder of Twenty/Twenty Beauty, a new line of beauty products that have been very helpful to my dry eye patients.  The reason my patients have had so much success with her products is because they avoid all of the most common toxic ingredients.  If you would like to see a list of common toxic ingredients, download it here.

I am so pleased to have Dr. Campo to help explain her views of clean makeup and how her products are solving problems for dry eye patients who haven't been able to wear makeup, maybe for years now.

WHAT IS CLEAN BEAUTY

Clean beauty means that the products that you're using for your beauty routine do not contain anything that can harm your body. The beauty industry is not well-regulated....