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Eye drops are pretty much the secret behind every bright-eyed celebrity photo you’ve ever seen. They’re a holy-grail product for makeup artists, models, and photographers because they make you look like you got a full eight hours of sleep in under a minute. “Redness-relieving eye drops contain a type of ingredient known as vasoconstrictors, which work by constricting the conjunctival blood vessels, instantly making the vessels less visible and creating a whiter and brighter-looking eye,” says Diane Hilal-Campo, MD, board-certified ophthalmologist and founder of Twenty/Twenty Beauty.
Campo says most redness-relieving drops have tetrahydrozoline or naphazoline, which work to constrict the conjunctival arteries and make eyes appear brighter. She cautions that these shouldn’t be used as a long-term solution since they can damage the blood vessels and become ineffective after continued use.