Missy Tannenbaum
One day, a little over a year ago, I woke up & felt as though there was a shard of glass stuck on my eye. I made it through my day at work, but not easily as I was continuously rubbing my eye & trying to keep it closed as much as possible since it was painful.
I remembered what my friend and Optometrist, Dr. Dennis Iadorola, always says, “if you can feel your eyes, there’s probably something wrong.” I never really understood completely what that meant until this day, when all I could think about was how much pain I was feeling in my eye. When I realized this pain wasn’t going away, I went in to see Dr. I.
Upon a comprehensive eye exam, Dr. I removed the spec of mascara affixed to my eyeball and instilled a lubricating drop (which brought some much needed soothing relief to my eye). He went on to tell me that I had dry eye disease and his recommended treatment plan was to begin using eyelid & lash wipes every morning and night to cleanse my eyes, and use the drops as needed throughout the day.
This diagnosis of dry eye disease was unexpected. First, who knew that the reason for mascara sticking to your eye could be caused by dry eyes. Who knew that dry eye disease was an actual inflammatory disease and it could be this painful! Who knew that dry eye disease could be chronic and progressive!
There have been many times when my eyes felt tired, itchy, and even sometimes were red. However, I largely ignored these symptoms as I took the attitude that “my eyes will just reset themselves.” Well, this time they didn’t!
As I do with all my other self care products, I started trying different wipes & drops. My eye care products now have a home on the shelf in my bathroom cabinet next to my skin care products, my haircare products, and my makeup products. Not only do my eyes themselves feel better, but I have noticed an improvement in the skin around my eyes.
There was also an unexpected bonus for me. Since the wipes I ended up liking the best contain TTO (tea tree oil) & hyaluronic acid I tried using them on my whole face and I have come to enjoy the benefits of that as well! Truthfully, these lid and lash hygiene products are also the best makeup remover I have ever used.
Although it takes a few extra minutes, I have come to appreciate that my eyes need some love too. So now every day, like clockwork, I am treating my eyes the same way I treat my skin, my teeth, and my hair. And my eyes are happy for that.
I am happy to report that almost a year later, my dry eye doesn’t seem to have progressed. I attribute that to the clear education and treatment plan that Dr. I prescribed. I know I am one of the fortunate ones (so far) as I have now spoken to so many people who deal with dry eye almost daily and have heard some stories about just how debilitating dry eye can be. I now fully realize the impact dry eye disease has on people’s quality of life and do my best to convey to anyone who wants my opinion the importance of a simple daily eye care routine.