I know what a lot of you are thinking.  How could anything good have come out of 2020?  And, I totally get where you are coming from.  But, I am a glass-half-full kind of gal, and I implore you to take a hard look back at the year and find what you can truly be grateful for. 

It has been a difficult year for everyone on the planet.  No one was spared heartache this year.  I would like to take a moment to recollect the best things that have happened in the world of Dry Eye this year.

Best New Products

This year, two companies brought new products to the U.S. Dry Eye market.  Their products are amazing.  I couldn't be happier to be able to get my hands on them here.

Eyes Are The Story

This company was founded by a small group of dry eye experts who...

New Year's Eve is such a fun holiday, and many of us look forward to getting dressed up to go out. Hopefully, this year, even if it is just in your own living room or at your neighbor's house, you have found a way to celebrate. 

The makeup that you put around our eyes matters.  You can look great and take care of your eyes so that at the end of the night, your makeup is not streaming down your face.  No one wants to have red and irritated eyes during the party and especially not the next day either.

I've got 3 great tips to make your holiday makeup look great.  And, it will be healthy for your eyes as well.

#1) Mascara

Do not use waterproof mascara.  A lot of my patients with dry eyes switch to waterproof mascara so that it doesn't run down their cheeks...

Sleep is very important to the health of your body, as it is the time that your eyes and your body repairs and rejuvenates themselves.  Often, I find that my patients with the driest eyes are very poor sleepers. 

In addition, with the winter season and the holidays going on right now, it may even be a little bit harder to get on a good sleep schedule.  Here are three tips to help you get good sleep this season, which will keep your eyes feeling healthy and happy.

#1) Set Up a Bedtime Routine

You probably have a time that you wake up every morning.  Maybe it's the same Monday through Friday and a little bit later on the weekends, but you have a strict guideline for waking up in order to get to work on time. 

However, not many adults have a set bedtime...

The winter season tends to be the driest time of year in many places around the world.  When the temperatures drop and everyone turns on their heaters, there's not a lot of moisture in the air.  And, that's just the indoor environment.  Outdoors the weather can be harsh with freezing temperatures, blowing wind, and extra UV light coming off of ice and snow.   

This is a really tough environment for anyone who suffers from dry eyes.  I want to go over three tips that you can use this winter to keep your eyes feeling moisturized and comfortable. And, I think you'll be a little bit surprised with the third tip.  

Tip #1) Use A Gel Artificial Tear Or Ointment At Bedtime 

It's nice to have that extra moisturizing gel in your eyes...

I love taking care of my eyes.  it makes them feel great when I do my daily treatment to them.  Then, I feel great knowing I've done something to help myself look and see my best.  I bet someone in your life loves to do that too.

My holiday gift guide contains all of my favorite products that I use to take care of my eyes on a daily basis. So, you can think about giving them as a gift to a loved one. The first two are brand new products that were just launched this year in 2020.  You can no longer say nothing good came out of this year.

#1) Optase Dry Eye Intense Drops 

I love this artificial tear. It's not like any other artificial tears on the market.  With most artificial tears it feels great at first, but then you feel just as dry as you did before you...

Because it's the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to really give thanks for all the blessings in my life and in my business. 

Vision

I am thankful for your vision. To me, vision is the most precious of our five senses.  And, as an eye doctor, I feel that it is my duty to help you protect your vision to the best of my ability.  This is why I talk about caring for your eyes every day as part of your self care routine.  If you are not sure what I am referring to, please check out this blog.  And, my book, Alleviate Dry Eye, is all about the ways in which you can care for your eyes. 

This month is the two year anniversary of the release of Alleviate Dry Eye.  It is available in paperback and in Kindle version on Amazon.  So, if you...

 

Why is our breath bad in the morning? 

What are Warm Compresses Used For?

Most of us are spending more and more time on our digital devices these days.  The new normal has been translated into trying to do everything we enjoy doing, only now we are using a device to do it.

No more in-person conferences, hello Zoom meetings.

No more coffee dates with friends, hello FaceTime.

No more shopping in stores, hello Amazon.

No more dinner at restaurants, hello Door Dash.

No more doctor's visits, hello telehealth.

Some of these things may be blessings, but they are leading to more complications down the road.  We are spending more and more time on digital devices to help us live our lives with less person to person contact. 

When we spend time using computers or digital devices, the number of times we blink per minute decreases.  The complication I...

Are your eyes constantly looking red and feeling scratchy?  When you're using the computer, do they sting and burn or even water too much? Does your vision blur when you're trying to get your work done? Do you feel like you just can't concentrate because you feel like you're constantly blinking to keep things clear? 

These are some common complaints my patients tell me about when they're trying to use the computer and they have dry eyes. I have a powerful tip to show you how to keep your dry eyes in check while you're on the computer.  It's called the 20X20X20 rule with a twist.

What's the 20X20X20 Rule?

The 20X20X20 rule means to take a quick break from looking at your computer screen to looking at something about 20 feet away, for just 20 seconds, about every 20...