Visine (), also known as Vispring, is a brand of

eye drop Eye drops or eyedrops are liquid drops applied directly to the surface of the eye usually in small amounts such as a single drop or a few drops. Eye drops usually contain saline to match the salinity of the eye. Drops containing only saline ...

s produced by

Kenvue Kenvue Inc. is an American consumer health company. Formerly the Consumer Healthcare division of Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue is the proprietor of well-known brands such as Aveeno, Band-Aid, Benadryl, Combantrin, Zyrtec, Johnson's, Listerin ...

. Visine was first introduced in 1958 and was acquired by

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

in 1999. In 2006,

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...

acquired Visine, along with Pfizer's entire consumer healthcare portfolio. The original formulation of Visine includes the active ingredient tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride, which is a

vasoconstrictor Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, in particular the large arteries and small arterioles. The process is the opposite of vasodilation, the widening of blood vesse ...

that constricts the eye's superficial

blood vessels Blood vessels are the tubular structures of a circulatory system that transport blood throughout many animals’ bodies. Blood vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to most of the tissues of a body. They also take waste an ...

to temporarily reduce

eye redness A red eye is an eye that appears red due to illness or injury. It is usually injection and prominence of the superficial blood vessels of the conjunctiva, which may be caused by disorders of these or adjacent structures. Conjunctivitis and subc ...

Products

In addition to its original formulation, Visine is available in several varieties of eye drops for different types of eye irritation. These include formulas with

antihistamine Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive, generic (not patented) drug that can be bought without a prescription and provides ...

s for allergy-induced irritation, to moisturizing formulations for eye dryness. These formulations use

active ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. ...

s ranging from

oxymetazoline Oxymetazoline, sold under the brand name Afrin among others, is a topical decongestant and vasoconstrictor medication. It is available over-the-counter as a nasal spray to treat nasal congestion and nosebleeds, as eye drops to treat eye rednes ...

naphazoline Naphazoline is a medicine used as a decongestant, and a vasoconstrictor added to eye drops to relieve red eye. It has a rapid action in reducing swelling when applied to mucous membranes. It is a sympathomimetic agent with marked alpha adrener ...

. Some Visine products cater specifically to

contact lens Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic ...

wearers or to those who require

artificial tears Artificial tears are lubricating eye drops used to relieve dryness and irritation of the ocular surface. Dry eye syndrome ( keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is a common ocular surface disorder and is characterized by disruption of the tear film and ...

Side effects

Adverse effects

Visine has been observed to cause stinging and burning upon application, and has a

rebound effect The rebound effect, or rebound phenomenon, is the emergence or re-emergence of symptoms that were either absent or controlled while taking a medication, but appear when that same medication is discontinued or reduced in dosage. In the case of re- ...

that may cause eye redness to worsen. Prolonged use has been observed to cause blood vessels to be dilated for an extended period of time. Because of this risk, Visine usage has been recommended to be limited, unless specified by a doctor. Some formulations of Visine are not advised for contact lens wearers as the decreased blood flow to counter eye redness could further lower oxygen levels to the eye. Some Visine products are not recommended to be used by patients with

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

, since stimulation from lubrication can contribute to high pressure within the eye. Certain underlying health conditions that cause eye irritation are not able to be relieved by Visine and require prescription-grade eye drops.

Ingestion

A debunked

urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

claims that a few drops of Visine will cause harmless but debilitating bouts of explosive diarrhea, similar to a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

. However, symptoms of Visine's active ingredient tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride can be severe, and can include: * Dangerously low body temperature (hypothermia) *

Blurred vision Blurred vision is an ocular symptom where vision becomes less precise and there is added difficulty to resolve fine details. Temporary blurred vision may involve dry eyes, eye infections, alcohol poisoning, hypoglycemia, or low blood pressur ...

Nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

and

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, pre ...

Difficulty breathing Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that co ...

or cessation of breathing *

Elevated blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major risk ...

(hypertension) followed by sudden

low blood pressure Hypotension, also known as low blood pressure, is a cardiovascular condition characterized by abnormally reduced blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood and is ...

(hypotension) *

Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

Seizures A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...

and

tremor A tremor is an involuntary, somewhat rhythmic muscle contraction and relaxation involving neural oscillations, oscillations or twitching movements of one or more body parts. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the h ...

s *

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

Oral ingestion of Visine warrants immediate medical attention or a call to a

poison control center A poison control center is a medical service that is able to provide immediate, free, and expert treatment advice and assistance over the telephone in case of exposure to poisonous or hazardous substances. Poison control centers answer questions ...

Criminal use

There have been multiple high-profile murder cases that have been alleged to utilize Visine's active ingredient tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride as a poison. In 2018, a South Carolina nurse was accused of killing her husband by adding Visine to his drinks over a period of three days. In 2019, a North Carolina paramedic was similarly accused of murdering his wife, with Visine misuse asserted as the probable cause.

Popular culture

In the film ''

Wedding Crashers ''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and ...

,'' the character Sack Lodge, portrayed by

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...

, is drugged with Visine eye drops, and is depicted as having severe gastrointestinal upset afterwards. The character John Beckwith, portrayed by

Owen Wilson Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has frequently worked with filmmaker Wes Anderson, with whom he has shared writing and acting credits on the films '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and ''T ...

, uses Visine several times over the course of the film to feign crying. The movie gained notoriety for misrepresenting the effects of Visine consumption, which in actuality can be lethal. The

about Visine inducing severe diarrhea is perpetuated in the film ''

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell ''I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell'' is a book of autobiographical short stories about sex and drinking adventures written by Tucker Max. It was a ''New York Times'' #1 bestseller and made the New York Times Best Seller List, Best Seller List each ...

''. In the movie, the main character Tucker Max, portrayed by

Matt Czuchry Matthew Charles Czuchry (; born May 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Logan Huntzberger on the WB television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2005–2007), Cary Agos on the CBS television drama ''The Good Wife'' (2009–2016 ...

, offends two women at a bar, prompting one of the women to squirt Visine into his beer bottle without his knowledge. After consuming the drugged liquid, Tucker, and another character, are then depicted as having severe diarrhea. In Season 4, Episode 3 of ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Pr ...

'', an inmate poisons a fellow inmate using Visine, and the poisoned inmate is depicted as experiencing severe diarrhea shortly after. In Season 1, Episode 5 of "Dead Boy Detectives," a high school girl poisons her boyfriend and another boy using Visine, expecting them to pass out. Instead, they convulse, bleed from their eyes, and die.

References

External links

Visine webpage

Snopes reference
{{Johnson & Johnson Ophthalmology drugs Drugs developed by Johnson & Johnson