Eye Drops: Safety & Alternatives

It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

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So, no question/request too big or small

❝Before important business meetings my father used to use eye drops to add a “sparkle” to his eyes. I think that is a step too far, but what, short of eye drops, can we do to keep our eyes bright throughout the day?❞

Firstly, we’d indeed not recommend eye drops unless advised to do so by your doctor to treat a specific health condition:

• Infections from over-the-counter artificial tears
• Are my eye drops safe to use?
• More eye drops recalled due to infection danger

Those eye drops that “add sparkle” are often based on astringents such as witch hazel. This means that the capillaries in the eye undergo vasoconstriction, becoming much less visible and the eye thus appears much whiter and thus brighter.

There isn’t a way to do the same thing from the inside, as taking a vasoconstrictor will simply increase your general blood pressure, making the capillaries of your eyes more, rather than less, visible.

However, what you can do is…

• look after your general vasculature (cardiovascular health)
• in particular, reduce hypertension
• that includes limiting salt
• stay away from vasoconstrictors (including caffeine)
• reduce your resting cortisol levels
• that certainly also means reducing alcohol consumption
• maintain good hydration

Take care!