1) Stop rubbing your eyes! Your mom was right, that just makes it worse. Prostaglandins, chemotactic-factors, and other nasty molecules are being released into your eye tissue making things itchy, puffy, and red when you rub.

2) Remove allergens from your eyes. You can flush them out with artificial tears after you mow the lawn. Try putting the drops in the refrigerator for an eyeball cooldown.

3) Take it easy on the contact lens wearing. The lenses are trapping allergens in your eye that would otherwise be flushed out with your tears. Limit your wear time, don’t sleep in them, and consider daily disposable contact lenses.

4) Try eye drop medication. Drops are much more effective than oral meds in controlling eye allergies. Over the counter meds containing Ketotifen can be very effective. If you want the big guns, ask your optometrist for an Rx.

The post 4 Ways To Improve Your Eye Allergy Symptoms appeared first on The Eye Site.

Blepharitis is chronic inflammation around the lid area. This lid inflammation can cause your lids’ oil glands to function poorly, and thus contribute to a poor tear layer and dry eye.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Keep your lids clean with Ocusoft over the counter lid scrubs once a day for a month.
• Lubricate several times a day with SYSTANE® BALANCE Lubricant Eye Drops. These over the counter drops in particular have mineral oils that can supplement your own tears poor lipid component.
• Start taking 2,000 mg of Omega-3 fish oils. They act as an anti-inflammatory and can improve your dry eye if taken diligently.

If your symptoms continue you need of course of prescription medication to clear it up.

The post Red Eyelids, Dry Eyes, and Morning Eye Crusties appeared first on The Eye Site.

Dr Ryan Nielson and Dr Ana Nielson of The Eye Site receiving the Hallock-Wehmann Award presented by Loraine Hand, Vice President of the Meridian Lions Club.

The post The Eye Site receives award from Meridian Lions Club appeared first on The Eye Site.

Why is everybody so dry?

Many factors contribute to this problem but here are a few major contributors:

Some of these factors can’t be controlled but I’d like to talk about one than can… diet (fat specifically).

There are 2 types of fat, good and bad.

Bad fat comes mostly from animal fats and processed foods, good fats come from produce and fish.

When these fats are broken down in our body they produce either pro or anti- inflammatory reactions in our body.

Inflammation is probably the major factor in dry eye.  If we can control this by a better diet, dry eye goes away.

I often recommend patients supplement their diets with essential fatty acids like: fish, flax, chia seed, or black current seed oils.

Many products contain these but we have had wonderful success with HydroEye.

The post Relief for Dry Eye by Dr. Nielson appeared first on The Eye Site.