In 2021, I was invited to serve as a member of the Public Awareness Committee for the TFOS Lifestyle Workshop. This is a global initiative where doctors, scientists, and researchers come together to gather information and make recommendations. The purpose of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society’s newest workshop was to produce evidence-based education about the lifestyle choices patients are making which cause ocular surface disease.  

The purpose of these TFOS workshops is to gather the known evidence-based research and compile it. This helps to gather a consensus from research to help guide treatment protocols. It also answers questions about disease progression and uncovers areas that have not yet been fully researched. In fact, each subcommittee report has a section...

LipiFlow is an in-office treatment for dry eye disease to reduce the scratchiness and irritation of the eye. The device is used to loosen the oils that may be trapped on the oil glands in you eyelids. These glands are called meibomian glands, and when the oils inside of them get trapped, we call it meibomian gland disease. 

During the treatment the trapped oils are melted and released from the glands. The oils are able to come out onto the front surface of your eye, protect your tears from drying out and give you stable vision that doesn't fluctuate when you're blinking. The procedure also calms down the redness, irritation, and eliminates that scratchy feeling that you might be having on your eyes. 

Since I've been performing LipiFlow treatments in my office for years,...

Traveling can be a little tricky when you have sensitive eyes or suffer from dry eye disease. There seems to be added environmental stressors around every corner when you are in a new setting. I travel often and I've developed a little kit of products that I'm always sure to grab when I leave town.

The last time I traveled I added a new product to the kit.  It's definitely going to be a staple of my daily care regimen whether I'm on the go or not.  I love this product so much that I don't just use it when I travel and its brand new, so I'm excited to talk to you about it. It's called Neutra Wipe from Tear Restore.

First, let's review the 4-simple steps to dry eye care:

1. Hydrate with an artificial tear
2. Harmonize with a lid and lash cleanser
3. Heat with a warm...

Ivizia is a new over-the-counter artificial tear that's just hit the U.S. market in 2022. It's different from any other tears on the market before. This is an artificial tear, so it's an over-the-counter product that you can pick up at your drugstore or local pharmacy.

#1) Ivizia has two great ingredients for your dry eyes. 

Hyaluronic Acid

Now I know all you ladies know about hyaluronic acid (or HA) is because you love it when it's an ingredient in your skincare products. HA binds water to your cells and puffs them up and makes them more plump. You love having HA on your face so that your skin looks dewey and fresh.

You'll love this same ingredient on your eyes as well. The HA will bind moisture to the front surface of your...

This week I'm talking about the best makeup kit for Dry Eye Sufferers. I love this makeup kit from twenty/twenty beauty. It just came out during the 2022 holiday season. It's still available on their website and it is so beautiful and has the greatest products in it. 

The most important step to any beauty routine is removing your makeup. If you don't yet have a favorite makeup remover, please download the Guide to Makeup Removers for Sensitive Eyes here.

Let's go over each of these four products and review why they are safe to use when you have dry or sensitive eyes. The makeup kit contains: a mascara, an eyeshadow, and lash and brow growth serum, and a special Hypochlorous cleanser.

#1)Clean Sweep Mascara

This mascara is great for those of us who have dry eyes...

The eye care industry is constantly evolving. There is always research going on to make products better, more tolerable, and longer lasting. This past year, there were 3 new products that hit the market that can significantly affect your dry eye relief. Let's talk about three of the best dry eye products that came to market in 2022.

 #1) For your Eyes: Optase MGD Advanced Dry Eye Drop

Optase has been available in the US for a couple of years now. Their preservative-free Dry Eye Intense drop has been a favorite of mine for several years now.  However, in 2022, MGD Advanced came to the US market as well. 

MGD Advanced has three key ingredients:

1. Hyaluronic Acid: binds moisture to the front surface of our eye.
2. Trehalose: a naturally occurring compound that prevents drying...

At the end of each year, I like to review the blog and find the best tips from the whole year and put them together in one place. This year, choosing just 3 was particularly hard. There were so many great things to talk about this year. So, I may end up doing more than Best of episode.

In this blog, I want to focus on the best dry eye relief tips we talked about this year. There were 3 that stood out to me:

• How to get dry eye relief without using eye drops
• Alternatives to Lash Lengthening Mascara
• Redness relief when you have Dry Eyes

These 3 stand out as giving some great Dry Eye relief tips that can be used all year long. Let's Review:

#1) Can you Get Dry Eye Relief without Using Eye Drops (Blog #171)

Even if you hate putting drops in your eyes, or even touching your eyes in...

I like to refer to the winter season as Dry Eye Season to my patients.  In most parts of the country, winter is the driest season. When the temperature is cold outside, the moisture comes out of the air. Then, we turn our heaters on indoors to combat those cooler temps. Now, the indoor air is dry as well.

It is important this time of year to provide your eyes with extra moisture. I like to think about hydrating my eyes in 3 ways:

1. From the inside
2. On the surface
3. From your environment

Check out these easy steps you can take to get Dry Eye Relief this Winter...

#1) Hydrate from the Inside

Make sure you are continuing to do the things that are good for your eyes and your health during the winter season.  Continuing to take your omega 3 fatty acid supplement is a great...

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 4 great products to make your holiday makeup look great.  And, it will be healthy for your eyes as well. All you need is: eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and eye brow gel. You'll be ready to step out to any holiday affair.

#1) Eye Shadow

There are a couple of things to avoid when using eye shadow. 

Do not use GLITTERY eyeshadow. The glitter can fall into your eyes and create microscopic scratches on your eye.  Your eyes will be red and irritated from it. If you need the...