Today, I'm going to talk to you about the first of three myths about dry eye disease. Stay tuned over the coming weeks for the other two myths.

Myth #1:

Dry Eye Disease symptoms will just go away on their own.

Truth:

Dry eye is a disease. It's called dry eye disease (DED).  And, it's chronic and progressive just like other disease that you might have, like diabetes or high blood pressure.

DED is chronic. You will need to treat it for a lifetime. It doesn't just go away on its own. So it needs to be treated long term. It's best to make simple shifts to your lifestyle to treat it. If you make your treatment regimen a part of your daily care routine (like you do for brushing your teeth) it is easy to do it over your lifetime. 

Check out the 4-simple steps of daily dry eye care here.  ...

Lots of states are returning to having a mask mandate.  Here in Louisiana, as of August of 2021, we are back to wearing masks while in doors in public areas.

We're back to wearing masks again.  And, if you suffer from dry eyes, like I do, your eyes are probably feel pretty bad when you wear a face covering for several hours.  I want to give you some tips on how to wear a mask when your eyes are dry.

What is going on when we wear a mask?

Well, the air from your nose and mouth needs somewhere to go when your wearing a mask.  If the mask isn't tight over the bridge of your nose, the air will travel up into your eyes and dry them out.  Not to mention, that warm moist air will fog your glasses.  When you have your mask on, and it isn't tight enough over the bridge of the nose, the air from y...

Mask Associated Dry Eye is dryness caused or exacerbated by wearing a face-covering mask.

Many of us have been mandated to wear a face-covering while in public by our local government for months now.  Many people who work in the public are now wearing these masks for a large portion or at least several hours a day.

Personally, I wear a mask the entire time I am at work, whether I am in front of patients or not.  I am still in the building or in a room with others, so wearing a mask is important.  Dry eyes associated with wearing a mask is increasing in patients.  It is even increasing in patients who did not have dry eyes previous to the pandemic.

2 Ways Poor Mask Fit Leads to Dry Eyes:

Too Loose:

Breathing out while wearing a mask that does not fit tightly to your cheeks can send the...

In this interview, I review the 4 Steps of Simple Dry Eye treatment plan and the importance of having a treatment plan that addresses the symptoms of your dry eyes.

Let me do a quick review for you here.

Step One: Hydrate - Use an artificial tear to give the front surface of the eye the moisture it needs to keep the eye healthy.

Step two: Harmonize - Using a cleanser for the lids and lashes on a daily basis will keep the bacteria living there in check.  Over population of bacteria will lead to redness and irritation.

Step three: Heat - A warm compress will help to melt the oils trapped in the oil glans lining the lid margins.  Once thee oil is able to flow freely out of the glands, the oil will coat the watery portion of the tears and prevent it from evaporating.

Step four: Heal - Ome...