The demodex mites spend most of their time buried head-down in hair follicles, the stocking-shaped organs that enclose and produce your hair strands.
They’re most commonly found in eyelids, nose, cheeks, forehead and chin.
While presence of these tiny mites is common in everyone, researchers speculate that some people develop demodex blepharitis due to unusual allergic or immune system reactions leading to inflammation.
Host of The Wizard of Eyes, Dr. Robert Abel, welcomes back guest, Dr. Arthur B. Epstein, to provide further insight into the multiple causes of blepharitis and red eyes, including demodex mites.
Dr. Epstein also explains how to treat them by using products like Avenova Eyelid Cleanser.
Eye Mites & Dry Eyes
Could your dry, itchy eyes be caused by eye mites?
Additional Info
- Segment Number: 5
- Audio File: wizard_of_eyes/1612we1e.mp3
- Featured Speaker: Arthur B. Epstein, OD
- Guest Website: Phoenix Eye Care
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Guest Bio:
Dr. Arthur B. Epstein is a native New Yorker who grew up in the Bronx, NY; later moving to Great Neck on Long Island, NY. He now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Epstein graduated from the City College of New York, CUNY, with a B.S. in psychology and received an O.D. degree from the State University of New York, State College of Optometry where he also served as the college's first resident in ocular disease.
Dr. Epstein heads the practice’s Dry Eye Ocular Surface Disease Center and serves as its Director of Clinical Research. He is a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association, a Distinguished Practitioner of the National Academies of Practice, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Full Member of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists and a Diplomate of the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry. He is also a member of the American Optometric Association, the AOA Contact Lens & Cornea Section, the Arizona Optometric Association, the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and served as a founding Board member of the American Optometric Society, and founded and currently serves as President of the American Board of Clinical Optometry.
Listed by Optometric Management as among the most influential in optometry, Dr. Epstein is a sought after speaker, having presented more than 1000 invited lectures on a variety of eye care topics in the U.S. and throughout the world. He is also a prolific author with many hundreds of articles, scientific papers and book chapters published. He is a Contributing Editor for Review of Optometry and Executive Editor of Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses. He founded, and serves as Chief Medical Editor of Optometric Physician™, the first E-Journal in optometry. Dr. Epstein serves on the Editorial Board of Eye and Contact Lens: Science & Clinical Practice and is a reviewer for numerous clinical and scientific journals in the eye care field. He is a consulting expert for AllAboutVision.com’s Dry Eye and Keratoconus sections, where he answers patients’ questions about treatment options. Dr. Epstein was recently appointed to the prestigious Dry Eye Workshop II (DEWS-II).
Active in the profession, Dr. Epstein is a Past Chair of the Contact Lens & Cornea Section (CLCS) of the American Optometric Association and a founder and past President of the Optometric Dry Eye Society. He led and was a primary strategist of the American Optometric Association’s response to the international Fusarium keratitis outbreak and was frequently quoted in news media throughout the world including an appearance on Good Morning America. As Chair of the CLCS he spoke before the US Congress regarding contact lens safety. Dr. Epstein's schedule can be hectic as he travels well over 100,000 miles a year in the U.S. and abroad. - Length (mins): 10
- Waiver Received: No
- Host: Robert Abel, Jr., MD
Published in
The Wizard of Eyes
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