Being an Optometry student, I know that eye health and lid hygiene is SO important! Bacteria and demodex mites build up on your lashes and eyelids, which causes inflammation and infection of your eyes. Just soap and water (or even baby shampoo) do NOT effectively clean your eyes or kill these bugs. Tea tree oil is known to have antibacterial properties and helps kill the bacteria and demodex mites. So when I found out that there was an Optometrist-made eyelash & eyelid cleanser/makeup remover made with tea tree oil called We Love Eyes, I was intrigued to try it out...
Dr. Tanya Gill, owner of Oakland Vision Center and creator of We Love Eyes products, is seriously the definition of #girlboss. She realized there was a need for an all natural, non-toxic, tea tree oil product formulated for the eyes to help her patients with dry, itchy, red & irritated eyes, so she created it herself! No other Optometrist has done this. And who better to trust with your eyes than an Optometrist? She's just brilliant.
We Love Eyes has a couple different products:
Step 1: Tea Tree Eyelid Makeup Remover Oil $18 for 1oz
Step 2: Tea Tree Oil Foaming Cleanser $20 for 1.35oz
In clinic, we see patients with blepharitis (bacterial flakes and debris on your lashes and lid margin causing inflammation) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) from poor lid hygiene all the time. So it's super important to clean your eyes with products like these lid foaming cleansers and eye makeup remover/cleansers all containing tea tree oil to prevent and reduce inflammation and infections. And always remember to remove your eye makeup no matter how tired you are!!
Here are some additional eye health tips:
If you currently use Visine to reduce redness, PLEASE STOP! It's one of the worst things you could put in your eyes. It's a vasoconstrictor, which temporarily reduces the redness by squeezing your blood vessels, then it has a redness rebound effect. It contains many toxic chemicals and there's so many other options for eyedrops you can use that are way healthier and will actually help your eyes instead of hurt them. My favorites are Systane Balance and Refresh Optive. You can find them OTC (over the counter) at CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc. If you want to learn more about why Visine is bad for your eyes, check out Dr. Tanya Gill's blog post "How to Quit your Bad Romance with Visine".
Contact lens compliance is important as well. Do NOT ever sleep in your contact lenses (yes even napping). You are starving your eyes of oxygen by sleeping in contact lenses. Make sure to replace your contacts monthly even if you only used them once. Daily disposable contact lenses are best for eye health so switch to those if possible. I use Bausch + Lomb Biotrue ONE day contact lenses and love them. Do not "top off" your solution in your contact lens case and replace your case every month. Those cases are prone to bacteria, fungi, and anything else that grows in your bathroom...I can't tell you how many patients I've seen in clinic that have bacterial ulcers on their corneas from contact lens overwear and non-compliance. Ulcers on your corneas are very serious and can make you go blind, which is sad because they are totally preventable if you take care of your eyes! (PS I've included photos below of these eye conditions so if you have a weak stomach please don't scroll all the way down)
If you wear eye makeup, contact lenses, eyelash extensions/fake lashes, or have dry irritated eyes, allergies, these products are for you. Cleaning your eyes is just as important as cleaning your skin and washing your hair. After using these products, your eyes will seriously thank you. I've felt such a difference since using these products and have recommended them to all my family and friends. I cannot stress enough the importance of eye health and lid hygiene. I hope that you have found these tips helpful and if you have any questions please comment below!
PS if you're interested in learning more about eye health, Dr. Tanya Gill has an awesome blog you can find here.
We Love Eyes has a couple different products:
Step 1: Tea Tree Eyelid Makeup Remover Oil $18 for 1oz
Step 2: Tea Tree Oil Foaming Cleanser $20 for 1.35oz
In clinic, we see patients with blepharitis (bacterial flakes and debris on your lashes and lid margin causing inflammation) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) from poor lid hygiene all the time. So it's super important to clean your eyes with products like these lid foaming cleansers and eye makeup remover/cleansers all containing tea tree oil to prevent and reduce inflammation and infections. And always remember to remove your eye makeup no matter how tired you are!!
Here are some additional eye health tips:
If you currently use Visine to reduce redness, PLEASE STOP! It's one of the worst things you could put in your eyes. It's a vasoconstrictor, which temporarily reduces the redness by squeezing your blood vessels, then it has a redness rebound effect. It contains many toxic chemicals and there's so many other options for eyedrops you can use that are way healthier and will actually help your eyes instead of hurt them. My favorites are Systane Balance and Refresh Optive. You can find them OTC (over the counter) at CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc. If you want to learn more about why Visine is bad for your eyes, check out Dr. Tanya Gill's blog post "How to Quit your Bad Romance with Visine".
Contact lens compliance is important as well. Do NOT ever sleep in your contact lenses (yes even napping). You are starving your eyes of oxygen by sleeping in contact lenses. Make sure to replace your contacts monthly even if you only used them once. Daily disposable contact lenses are best for eye health so switch to those if possible. I use Bausch + Lomb Biotrue ONE day contact lenses and love them. Do not "top off" your solution in your contact lens case and replace your case every month. Those cases are prone to bacteria, fungi, and anything else that grows in your bathroom...I can't tell you how many patients I've seen in clinic that have bacterial ulcers on their corneas from contact lens overwear and non-compliance. Ulcers on your corneas are very serious and can make you go blind, which is sad because they are totally preventable if you take care of your eyes! (PS I've included photos below of these eye conditions so if you have a weak stomach please don't scroll all the way down)
If you wear eye makeup, contact lenses, eyelash extensions/fake lashes, or have dry irritated eyes, allergies, these products are for you. Cleaning your eyes is just as important as cleaning your skin and washing your hair. After using these products, your eyes will seriously thank you. I've felt such a difference since using these products and have recommended them to all my family and friends. I cannot stress enough the importance of eye health and lid hygiene. I hope that you have found these tips helpful and if you have any questions please comment below!
PS if you're interested in learning more about eye health, Dr. Tanya Gill has an awesome blog you can find here.
 Blepharitis |  Demodex Mites on eyelashes |  Demodex Mite under microscope |
 MGD (Meibomian Gland Dysfunction), "capped glands" |  Bacterial Keratitis (a type of Corneal Ulcer) from contact lens infections |  Fungal Keratitis (type of Corneal Ulcer) |
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