Sharing the best products for dry eye, blepharitis, MGD (I’ve tried it all!)

+ the Great Eye Saga

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far. The girls are at a half-day camp and I’m here doing discovery coaching calls, podcast editing, and getting a quick workout before pickup.

For today’s post, I have the post no one asked for, and the post I DEFINITELY didn’t ask for:

my Great Eye Saga, finding out I have severe blepharatis, and mild MGD (meibomian gland dysfunction)… and all of the products, strategies, and treatments I’ve tried, along with my routine.

the best products for dry eye, blepharitis and MGD

OG readers of the blog (Hiiii and thank you so much for being so awesome and for your constant support) know that my eyes are delicate petunias. I’ve written about my woes with previous infections, eyelash extension nightmares, and finding out the hard way that certain eye makeup will ruin my life lol.

The latest eye misadventure has been the longest and most inconvenient experience yet, but in my determination to look at the bright side, now I know more about my eyes, WHY I struggled so much with certain things over the years, have a routine and care plan, and my eyes are the whitest and happiest they’ve been in years. 

So, buckle up, and I’ll tell ya a story.

The Great Eye Saga

In April, I got the worst pink eye that I’ve ever seen or experienced. I’d been out gardening the day before, and woke up with neon red eyes that were covered in mucus (I’m sorry, it’s true) and almost swollen shut. I rushed to urgent care, where they prescribed me antibiotic drops, and was sent home. It didn’t get better within a few days, so I went to a new eye doctor. (My previous eye doctor had retired.) He said the infection was viral and prescribed a steroid drop, which calmed down the inflammation. The following week, he said I could go back to my contacts, so I did. Within a few weeks, the redness and goo was back.

*It’s worth mentioning here that I washed my pillowcase and any towels I used every single day, threw away all of my expensive makeup and skincare (WAH), and washed my hands so often all of my knuckles were cracked and bleeding. I was so frustrated that somehow, I had pink eye again.*

I started the antibiotic drops again (the same ones, since it had only been about a month), they did nothing, and I went back to the eye doctor’s office.

I saw different eye doctor since my previous doctor was booked 

I’m writing this post with tears streaming down my cheeks and the biggest knot in my stomach… because sweet Caroline is gone.

She crossed the rainbow bridge on Monday, and devastated is an understatement. She hasn’t been doing well for a couple of years – she’d have a rough week and always seem to pull through – but knowing that it was coming didn’t make it any easier. In some ways, it’s made it even harder and more heartbreaking.

We got Caroline from a Cavalier Kings Charles rescue when Liv was a toddler. We drove to Phoenix, where they had multiple cavaliers running around from the puppy mill in Arkansas that had been shut down, and Caroline was the one Liv had to have. She was the smallest, most timid one, hiding in the corner, shaking.

“Are you sure you want this one?”

“Yes, I want this one.”

We drove her home and gave her lots of snuggles and food. For the first year or so, she remained timid, yet extremely sweet (even while receiving some occasional harassment from Bella). When we adopted Caroline, she was used to doing everything in a crate outside: it’s where she ate, did her business, and also birthed multiple rounds of puppies, as she was a young mama dog for the puppy mill.

When we brought her home, she had never walked on grass.

While she was still recovering from everything she endured, we quickly learned about Caro and her two favorite things: sleep and belly rubs. The girl could snore, too. She had the loudest, most satisfying snores, and it made my heart happy that she was able to fully relax after the horrible first couple of years of her life.

She rode in the wagon with Liv on our daily walks,

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