It is said that dry eye has as many symptoms as it has causes.  One person's dry eyes may feel completely different than the next person's dry eyes.  Some patients complain that they are dry and scratchy and the next complains that they are irritated and watery. 

Some of my patients feel their dry eyes feel worst and night and some feel worse in the mornings.  When you have eye irritation first thing in the morning, there are usually a few key reasons.

One of the first questions I like to ask my dry eye patients is, "Do your eyes feel more tired and irritated first thing in the morning or at the end of the day?"  The reason that I like to ask this question is that I want to get to the root cause of the dry eye symptoms.

Knowing when the eyes are most dry tells me a lot about the lids.  ...

1. Sleeping with it

It’s summertime! We are all glad to be out in the sunshine and enjoying ourselves outdoors. Many patients tell me they would like to wear their contact lenses more in the summer so they can wear their sunglasses.  Also, since most climates are a little less dry in the summer, dry eye sufferers find they can tolerate their contact lenses better this time of year. 

With wearing your contact lenses more of the time, there are a few things to keep in mind.  We will go over: the golden rule, the best cleaner to use for your contact lenses, and how to clean your lenses properly.   

The Golden Rule 

Since you are wearing your contact lenses more often in the summer it is important to remember the Golden Rule about contact lenses.  If you have read my book, Alleviate Dry Eye, you know there is ...

My patients often ask me why their eyes are so dry.  They feel like the symptoms may have come on suddenly, but the truth is that it was more likely to be a lot of little things that added up over a long period of time. 

Our bodies are very complex organisms. They have tasks that are being done all day long without us even thinking about it.  In our eyes, the tear film needs to be replenished constantly.  This means that you are continuously producing tears, and they are flowing out of your eyes all day long.

However, there are many reasons why your body will slow the production of the tears it needs.  In my book, Alleviate Dry Eye, Chapter 1 reviews the reasons for not producing enough tears extensively.  If you haven’t done so yet, you can get your copy here.   

There are several mai...

Red, itchy, watery eyes can make anyone miserable.  Spring is a great season to be outside. However, for allergy sufferers, this time of year can be agony.  And, when you add dry eyes to the mix, spring allergy symptoms worsen.  Here are some tips to keep you as happy as the sunshine this time of year: 

Know your Allergens 

In this case, knowing what you are allergic to can be game-changing for how you navigate this allergy season.  If you don’t know what you are allergic to, schedule an appointment for allergy testing.  The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology has a great tool to help you find an Allergist in your area: https://acaai.org/locate-an-allergist. 

Once you know your allergy triggers, it is easy to check the local pollen counts.  Check out: www.pollen.com and ...