One of the biggest complaints my dry eye patients talk to me about is redness.  Across the board, no matter their age or gender, patients hate having red eyes.  It's just embarrassing.  And, in truth, other people do notice when your eyes are red.  

Let's face it, the eyes are the windows to your soul.  And although rose colored glasses may give you a sunnier disposition, rose colored eyes do not.  There is no beauty in red eyes.  And, we don't like the story that red eyes tend to relate about activities we may have engaged in the night before.

Instead let's concentrate on how to make your dry eyes white again. This week especially, only a few days before Easter, you don't want to be mistaken for an Easter bunny.

Why are your eyes red when they're dry?

Well, dry eye is driven by inf...

It's almost Valentine's Day!!  Let's talk about how to make your eyes look gorgeous for your date.

There are five steps you can take to make your eyes pop, even when they're dry or sensitive, when you're out for Valentine's day. On this night especially, you don't want to hide your eyes because you're embarrassed by their redness.  Eyes are the window to the soul.  And, we all know that making eye contact is key in building relationships.  And, Valentine's Day is all about relationships.  So, let's stop hiding our eyes, and get them looking gorgeous.

STEP 1) LET THEM POP

You're ready to look great on your Valentine's Day date.  You don't want your leads to make you appear sleepy.  Use one drop of Upneeq at least 20 minutes before "go time".  And, your eyes will look more open and alluri...

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
...

I want to talk about something very important having to do with your dry eyes.  Comparison.  Comparison can kill even the best intended hopes and dreams.   Often, my patients will ask me to prescribe something for them that worked for their: mom, sister, best friend, or the girl down the street.  Because, they will tell me, it works so great for that other person.   Or, they may ask me about a treatment that their best friend tried and want to try it themselves. 

However, the cause of dry eye is "multi-factorial"  This means it can come from many different sources.  Both men and woman can have dry eyes, but the cause of the dry eye and thus the way we treat it will be significantly different. 

So comparing other people's treatments to your own is not useful.  Or wanting your outcom...

My patients and some of my students in my Alleviate Dry Eye course often ask me about how to express their meibomian glands.  You may have been told to do this by your own doctor.  Or, maybe you have read about it or heard about it from a friend.  A lot of folks are still confused as to how to do it.  

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know I talk about doing four simple steps to take care of our dry eyes daily.  To review, the first step is hydrate, so using an artificial tear. The second step is to cleanse your lids and lashes. The third step is to heat your lashes, and right after that heating you often want to express those meibomian glands, so we're going to talk about that. The fourth step is to take a dry eye supplement. I always recommend HydroEye to my patien...