Living

It has been a little over a year since I was thrust into the abyss of dry eye. I began wearing glasses at age 2 and by age 14, I...

How many people need to wear sunglasses day and night in an airplane just to keep the airflow off their eyes? Not many! Even with the air conditioning vent pointed...

Self-care has been an ever-evolving concept for decades. Originally, the World Health Organization defined self-care in the 1980s as “activities individuals, families, and communities undertake with the intention of enhancing...

Erica, who has aqueous deficient dry eye, talks about advocating for her care. Read Part 1. Becoming my own dry eye care advocate, I joined a dry eye support group...

Dry eye is a multifactorial disease, and treatment often takes a multifaceted approach. Every case is different. No silver bullet treatment exists – what works for one person may not...

I have both age related macular degeneration and chronic dry eye syndrome. Most people know that macular degeneration is a serious eye disease that can lead to total loss of...

Normally, I look forward to summer as a carefree time of rest and adventure. I’m a school teacher, so I have a lot of freedom to travel and do things...

When I was diagnosed with chronic dry eye after struggling for ten years, my doctor suggested scleral lenses. I was in the habit of saying yes to anything new the...

Did you know that the Food and Drug Administration in the United States bans only 11 chemicals from cosmetic industry products? (Hair and skin care products are included in this...

I don’t know about you, but when I am told I have a new health condition, I want to know why. Is it because of genetics, or perhaps something I did...

There's a lot of health information available on the internet these days. From personal blogs to online magazines to government websites and beyond, advice about your health can be found...

Because I am a doctor of optometry, it is pretty automatic for me to recommend and educate patients about the triad that has become the foundation of most dry eye...

If nothing else, my punctal plug story is entertaining. Hopefully, you will find it informative as well if you are considering having the procedure. These tiny inserts, placed in the...

Since being diagnosed with macular degeneration in 2014 and with chronic dry eye three years ago, I have frequently experienced frustration with my doctors. Far too often I feel like...

I was searching for ten years before I finally got a diagnosis of chronic dry eye. I went to more than thirty doctors in the past ten years. Hardly any...

As I’ve lived with dry eyes, I’ve become more aware of the ingredients in the products that I use on a daily basis – especially in my makeup. At one...

Black EyeCare Perspective, an organization created by Black optometrists, helps facilitate better dialogue between eye care professionals and the Black community. We talked to Doctors Essence Johnson and Jacobi Cleaver...

It was time for my annual eye checkup; always scary since my diagnosis with macular degeneration at age 66. I knew something new was going on with my vision. My...

Bias in healthcare disproportionately affects communities of color, which can result in delayed or incorrect diagnoses, more stress, and other negative outcomes. Black optometrists also account for less than 2...

Learning to live with chronic dry eyes is a process of realization, grief, and grit – it’s both physical and emotional. Let me explain. When my symptoms began, I thought...