#166: What Causes Dry Eyes? Part 1
In the clinic, I get asked this question all day long, "What's causing my eyes to be so dry?" The short answer is that dry eye is multifactorial. It comes from many different causes. Some of the things we have no control over, like your gender and your age. Women, especially those over 40, are more likely to have dry eye than men. And, we can't change our gender or age. But, there are a ton of causes of dry eye that we can control.
Let's talk about what you can take care or change to help our dry eyes. I like to break this down into three parts. I called it the EYE Method. The first is E for Eyes. The Y is for Your Health. And, the final E is for the Environment. Let's look at each part. Over the next 3 weeks, I'll break down the nitty gritty of controlling each of the parts of the EYE Method that you can make informed choices about.
E is for EYES
The products you place in, on, and around our eyes matter. You can control everything you are doing here to keep your eyes healthy and beautiful.
It is estimated that women use an average of 12 self care products on their faces on a daily basis. You can determine which products to use in, on, and around your eyes. I like to eliminate all the toxins from those products. The U.S. FDA does not regulate the beauty industry well. Only 11 ingredients are banned from use in these products in the U.S. Because of the lack of regulation, you need to act as your own watch doing.
You can take steps to eliminate these toxins in the products you use on a daily basis. I recommend considering these two steps first.
Step #1) Remove your Eye Makeup
Remove all traces of your eye makeup every night to eliminate the places bacteria use to hide and flourish. Everyone has bacteria that normally lives on our lids and lashes. However, when you forget to remove your makeup, or don't remove all of it well, you leave behind debris the bacteria can use as a home.
You want to make sure the makeup remover you're using does not contain any toxins either. I've put together the makeup remover guide for sensitive eyes just for you. It will guide you through the best type of makeup remover and give you a list of safe removers in that category. Did you know there are 5 different categories of makeup removers? You can download it here. Personally, I use one from category 3 and category 5 to get my eyes clean every night.
Step #2) Eliminate the Toxins and Irritants from your Makeup Routine
This involves specifically looking at the toxins that are in your makeup. I recommend making a switch to Clean makeup. That entails switching to brands like Eyes Are the Story and twenty/twenty beauty because they are made by eyecare professionals. And, I also recommend learning the best ways to wear and care for your makeup products.
I break everything down for you in a simple 5 step process to get Clean beauty in the Clean Makeup Manual. Following these 5 steps will ensure that you're wearing makeup that enhances your beauty rather than causing redness, irritation and wrinkles over time. Check out the Clean Makeup Manual here and start yourself on the path to feeling great in your makeup again.
CONTACT LENSES
Contact lenses are worn inside the eyes, and you have complete control over how you wear them. I see patients making a couple of mistakes with their contact lenses:
- Sleeping in contact lenses
- Over-wearing contact lenses - too many hours a day or too many days a week
- Not disposing of contact lenses on schedule
- Not properly cleaning contact lenses
Removing and cleaning your contact lenses properly is a great step towards reducing the irritation that contact lenses can cause your eyes.
Check out this blog, if you are interested in switching to a contact lens that is better suited for your dry eye situation. And, learn how to ensure your lenses are always as clean as you can get them in this blog where I talk about how to use the best contact lens cleaner for patients with dry eyes.
CONCLUSION
When you learn to take care of your eyes today, your #VISION will last you a lifetime.
When it comes to dry eye disease, there are several factors like your age and gender that you can't change. However, many of the other causes are actually lifestyle decision that you can make to help heal your dry eyes.
Starting the your EYES, you can make a switch to cleaner makeup practices, which eliminates the toxins and irritants from around your eyes. Start by using a makeup remover that is safe for sensitive eyes. Download the guide here.
Then, remember to take your contact lenses out each night. Clean them properly and throw them out on schedule. These practices will keep your seeing well in your contact lenses and your eyes healthier.
Next week, I'll review the second cause of dry eye disease, your health. I'll take a deep dive into how you can help your eyes to be less dry despite your genetics.
