After a zillion TV appearances, makeup artist and unofficial QVC queen Mally Roncal knows a thing or two about looking good on air. I asked her recently for her single best on-camera trick, and her answer surprised me: "Use eye drops to remove any redness," she said. "It's the first thing I do to my celebrity clients and models on QVC—you know how tight the cameras zoom in and you don't want to see red eyes." Of course, the first thing I did when I returned to my desk was examine my bloodshot eyes, proof that I stare at a computer screen for hours every day. Roncal's white-eyes secret might seem minor but a recent study published in the journal Ethology found that people with bloodshot eyes are considered sadder, unhealthier, and less attractive than people whose eye whites are untinted.
We know that dusting a little shimmery white eye shadow on your inner eye corners and swiping on blue eyeliner can help brighten the look of your eyes but for instant, super-white results, makeup artists like Roncal count on drops like Visine. Before I put anything in my eyes, I wanted to speak with an ophthalmologist. Dr. Robert Melendez explained how they work: They contain a decongestant to help symptoms like itchiness and wateriness, plus a vasoconstrictor that "literally strangles blood vessels so eyes appear whiter." Are they safe? It boils down to this: For short-term use (think four times a day for seven to ten days) to treat itchy, watery eyes that are most likely caused by allergies, it's just fine. And if you occasionally want to whiten your whites for a job interview or a date, it's probably OK, but Melendez suggests only doing this three times a year, max. Unfortunately, with long-term use (any more time than described above), you risk side effects. "We have a term for it: 'Rebound Redness,' which is what can happen when you use eye drops chronically. You use the drops and see results within one or two minutes but after two to four hours, when the medicine wears off, you might see that your eyes are even redder than they were originally." Another problem Melendez has seen in his patients: "Using the drops can sometimes dilate your pupils, which can lead to blurred vision." For an alternative, Melendez recommends buying some OTC natural re-wetting drops (like Refresh) and storing them in the fridge, or applying a cold compress to your eyes.
So how white are the whites of your eyes? And do you care?
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES