Many of my patients struggle with wearing I make up all day. They put on make up in the morning,  but it starts to run down their faces by afternoon. The problem is redness, irritation, and watering.  It's the ingredients in the eye makeup: mascara, eye shadow, and eyeliner that are irritating to the eyes. 

Did you know that women use an average of nine personal care products every day?  And, the beauty industry in the United States is highly unregulated. There has not been a new law past in the United States since 1938. As of today, there are only 11 ingredients banned from beauty products made in the United States. Whereas in Europe, there are over 1100 ingredients banned from their ingredient lists.

When I discuss changing makeup products with my patients, I am often met with resist...

Summer fills most of us with happy memories of time spent outdoors.  Summer is filled with water activities and lots and lots of sunshine.  

When you have dry, sensitive eyes, there are a few more factors affecting your eyes in the summer than any other time of year.  Don't let your red, irritated eyes keep you from enjoying the great outdoors this summer.  Utilize these tips to keep your eyes and your face happy.

There are 3 keys to a successful beauty routine to keep your eyes happy all summer long.

No. 1) NEVER Sleep in your Eye Makeup

Great beauty always begins with a clean face.  Removing your makeup at the end of the day is as important to your eyes as brushing your teeth is to your mouth.  Removing all traces of your eye makeup removes the places where bacteria can live and th...

Springtime is a beautiful time of year with the birds chirping and flowers beginning to bloom.  However, it can be the worst time of year for dry eye sufferers.  Allergens on top of eyes that are already red and sore can be a nightmare.  

Eye allergy symptoms include itching, watering, redness, and swelling.  Those symptoms would be piled on top of the dry eye symptoms you are already feeling like irritation and fluctuating vision.  Use these tips to soothe your allergy symptoms this spring.

Eliminate the Pollen

Keeping the pollen out of your clothes, hair, skin, and eyes is a great first step in helping your symptoms.  I wrote a blog about this subject recently.  Review it here for some best practices to keep the pollen out of your home, your bed, your eyes, and off of your contact l...

The national day of unplugging was Friday, March 6.  This was a time for us to take a break from our electronic devices.  In this case, I'm referring to cell phones, tablets, computers, televisions, and anything else that has a screen. 

 

Why Do We Need to Unplug?

The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus in China is scaring many Americans.  At this time, there are 28 countries with confirmed cases of the virus, including the United States.  Knowing the facts can bring relief and understanding of this sometimes deadly infection.

What is Coronavirus?

The current outbreak of illness is also known as 2019-nCoV.  Coronaviruses, in general, are a large family of viruses that are common in different species of animals such as bats, camels, cows, and cats.  It is rare, but these animal coronaviruses can infect people.  This was also true of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which had an outbreak in 2003.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of Coronavirus are similar to other upper respiratory illnesses.  Fever, shortness of breath, and cough...

The holidays are upon us.  For some of us, this news feels us with happiness and joy.  For others, it fills us with stress and anxiety.   I hate to admit to you that I am definitely the latter of these two types of people.  It is not that I don't like Christmas.  I love the decorations, parties, food, and gatherings.  I just have stress about the gift-giving.  #truth

Let's face it, there are some people in our lives that are hard to give to.  And, I'm sure you have more people on your list each year.  The growth of my list always seems exponential.  How does that happen?

Let me present to you the 2019 Gift Giving Guide.  You will find something on it for everyone.  Even if you don't think that your friends and family have dry eyes, we all need to take care of our eyes.  Take care of your...

No. 1)  Contact lenses are not costumes

This past week, I got an up-close and personal reminder of how painful inflammation can be.  I was out on my morning run.  It is by far my exercise of choice for getting the blood flowing and clearing my mind.  

Well, I must not have been thinking about my feet because all of a sudden I was face down on the asphalt.  Ugh.  I rolled on to my back and saw stars all at the same time.  I am a true believer in the discomfort of inflammation.

Do you remember last week when we went over the 4 steps to alleviate your dry eye symptoms?  They are hydrate, harmonize, heat, and heal,  If you want to go back and review that blog again, just click here.

The fourth step - heal has to do with reducing inflammation.  I suggest taking an omega fatty acid supplement called HydroEye by ScienceBased health....

This past weekend, I was able to attend a great event for dry eye practitioners in Central California. Some of the industry's greatest thought leaders were there including Scott Schachter, OD, Peter Pham, MD, Tim Trinh, OD, and Lisa Wahl, OD.

It was really great to reconnect with some of my colleagues and people who have influenced my career greatly.  I was re-introduced to a product that I have been using in my office for about a year now. It is called Zocular.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I often recommend using a lid and lash cleanser.  Lid and lash cleanser is an important step in my 4 step process to alleviate your dry eye symptoms. Please check out my book, Alleviate Dry Eye, to learn more about this process.

Zocular is a gentle but powerful lid ...