Inside Look at “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Actress Kyle Richards and Ophthalmologist Dr. Christopher Starr and an Insightful Look at Dry Eye

While many know Kyle Richards as the “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member most likely to break into the splits, you may be surprised to learn that she has recently been diagnosed with Chronic Dry Eye (CDE) and was prescribed medication to help increase her eyes’ natural ability to produce tears which may be reduced by inflammation due to CDE. Kyle started noticing that she was using artificial tears more often and decided to take action by talking about it with her eye doctor.

Kyle and nationally-renowned ophthalmologist Dr. Christopher Starr have answered specific medical questions about Chronic Dry Eye and explain the causes, symptoms, and treatments for CDE in the segment below.

Fast Facts about CDE:

• CDE is caused by decreased tear production due to inflammation and can be a progressive disease.
• Without enough tears, the film protecting the eye can break down, creating dry spots on the surface of the eye.
• Artificial tears are over-the-counter lubricants that provide temporary relief.
• People who think they might have CDE should talk to their eye doctor.

Kyle Richards

Kyle Richard was born in Hollywood, California into an acting family. She landed her first role at the age four in Disney’s “Escape to Witch Mountain,” where she played the younger version of her sister, child actress and fellow Housewife, Kim Richards. Her other sister, Kathy Hilton, is the mother of Nicky and Paris Hilton. Kyle has had some great roles in TV and film including “Little House on The Prairie,” “Carter Country,” “Down To Earth”, “E.R.”, “Halloween,” and “The Watcher in the Woods.” Now, on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”, she show’s the ups and downs of her fabulous and sometimes not so fabulous life. She is a staunch advocate for the fight against cancer and recently completed a 68-mile bike marathon to raise money to help fight the disease. Married for 16 years to the love of her life Mauricio Umansky, a high-end realtor of The Agency, he still makes her heart melt. Kyle Richards’ greatest passion is being a mother to her four daughters – Farrah, Alexia, Sophia, and Portia.

Christopher E. Starr, MD, FACS

Christopher E. Starr, MD, FACS, completed his ophthalmology residency training at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary before completing an advanced fellowship program in cornea, cataract & laser vision correction surgery at Johns Hopkins University, Wilmer Eye Institute where he was the recipient of the Walter J. Stark Research Award for his work on treating corneal dystrophies. Dr. Starr has received many professional awards and honors including “Best Doctors in America”, “America’s Top Ophthalmologists”, “Top Ophthalmologists in the Northeast”, and “Premier Surgeon PS250 Award”, and was named to the prestigious Castle Connolly Top Doctors List and “New York Magazine” named him a Best Doctor.

In addition to his busy practice, Dr. Starr is an active and accomplished researcher and lecturer and has been the principal investigator of many clinical trials and has a robust research program at Weill Cornell. An editor of the journals “Refractive Eyecare”, “Topics in Ocular Anti-infectives”, “Advanced Ocular Care”, “Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today”, “Current Ophthalmology Reports” and “Millennial Eye”.

The host of the popular online video series “Eyetube Journal Club and Ocular Surface Case Series”, Dr. Starr is also a valued educator, not only to his own residents, fellows and medical students, but also to established physicians and surgeons from around the world.

Dr. Starr currently serves as the Director of Ophthalmic Education and Director of the Fellowship Program in Cornea, Cataract & Laser Vision Correction Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Frequently featured in the ophthalmic and mainstream media including the “New York Times”, “Washington Post”, “ABC News”, “CBS News”, “The Today Show” and numerous others, Dr. Starr is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical Center and his practice interests include innovative laser vision correction (custom bladeless LASIK, LASEK, PRK), restorative corneal surgery (DSAEK and corneal transplantation), advanced cataract surgery with premium IOL’s (accommodating, multifocal, toric, LRI) as well as dry eye and general ophthalmology.

For much more information on Dr. Starr, please visit www.WeillCornellEye.org and www.StarrMD.com.