While?Dr. Jennifer Tsai?could easily be mistaken for a beauty or fashion influencer, she’s actually the founder of?Line of Sight, a New York City-based optometry practice that melds hands-on holistic wellness with cutting-edge technology to treat everything from eye infections and myopia to droopy lids and under-eye bags.
An expert in all things eye related, Dr. Tsai became immersed in the field after a childhood spent wearing thick glasses and dealing with threatening eye issues like a corneal ulcer and a severe retinal tear. Today, she not only treats patients IRL but also educates the masses about eye care via her?Instagram?and?TikTok?platforms. In addition to sharing snippets from her far-flung travels and fashion collaborations, Dr. Tsai’s recent posts have included?how she cares for her eyes on a flight?and?what ingredients to look for in an eye cream.
We asked Dr. Tsai what we should all be doing to improve our eye health on the daily — and, somewhat surprisingly, it starts with diet. “Healthy eyes start with the right nutrition and protection,” Dr. Tsai says. “Eating green, leafy vegetables with a lot of antioxidants helps to maintain the retina, and avoid smoking. Taking computer breaks is great to reduce eye strain as well as dry eyes. Maintaining lid hygiene is super important to prevent sties, dry eyes and bacterial infections. Lastly, always wear your sunglasses even for short outdoor distances to prevent UV damage.”
Below, Dr. Tsai shares her top beauty and skin care products, all of which are gentle on the eyes.
“Lately, I’ve really liked makeup eye shadows made by Merit,” Dr. Tsai says. “They include calming, nourishing ingredients around the eye area like chamomile, peptides and sunflower seed oil.” Blendable and longwearing, Merit's Solo Shadows come in eight shades, can be applied via brush (or finger!) and have a buildable component to them, thanks to their creamy, powdery finish.
Navigating the sea of facial cleansers on the market can be overwhelming, but for Dr. Tsai, there’s only one go-to: “Bioderma H2O Micellar Water on a cotton pad is a super-effective and gentle way to remove makeup around the eye region,” she says. The H2O Micellar Water also doesn’t need to be rinsed off your face when finished.
Let’s face it: We also want thicker, longer lashes, but achieving them isn’t always safe for our eyes. “Demi Wispies by Ardell have been and are still my favorite,” Dr. Tsai says, adding, “I prefer strip lashes over lash extensions because they can be easily removed for proper lid cleaning and makeup removal at the end of the night.” This set of six pairs comes with a handy applicator tool.
Dr. Tsai’s holy grail for “overall hydration”? Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb. Great for normal to dry skin, this cream ranks among her faves, thanks to its incredible ability to lock in moisture for up to 26 hours.
Looking for a doctor-approved lash and brow growth serum? Dr. Tsai has got you covered. “I like the new Lumify lash and brow serum, which is safe and gentle around the eyes,” Dr. Tsai, who has?worked with the brand, says. “The ingredients help to keep hair moisturized and healthy.” Hypoallergenic and nonirritating, this serum is formulated with hyaluronic acid, peptides and biotin, which work to condition lashes and brows.
An effective eye cream that costs under 30 bucks? Yep, it exists. “I like the Olay Retinol24 night eye cream because it contains vitamin B3 and retinol for anti-aging and brightening benefits,” Dr. Tsai says. “It also provides this nice instant result the next morning.”
When it comes to Dr. Tsai's favorite skin care products that are also gentle on the eyes, the Peter Thomas Roth Hydra-Gel Eye Patches top her list. Great for adding “more moisture,” the patches are infused with fancy ingredients like 24-karat gold and colloidal gold, both of which lift and firm the skin surrounding the eye while also brightening and calming the skin. Did we mention you only have to wear the patches for 10 minutes to see results? Done and done.
You get what you pay for, and when it comes to Cartier, that’s a whole lot of luxury. “It’s a splurge, but one of my favorite sunglasses we carry at Line of Sight is the Panthere De Cartier by Cartier,” Dr. Tsai says. “It’s chic, oversized and elegant with the perfect amount of UV protection.”
