Eye care specialist issues stark warning against WILDLY popular whitening drops

An ophthalmologist has issued a stark warning about the viral whitening eye drops, Lumify - and why you should only be using them on special occasions.

The information was shared in a video posted to TikTok last month by New York City-based doctor Ashley Brissette, who practices with Weill Cornell Medicine.

The expert, who is also the eye doctor for The New York Rangers, often takes to social media to share her wisdoms about eye care and even her daily life as a doctor.

This time, she took to the platform to share a warning about the wildly popular Lumify eye drops, which have been touted by tons of influencers like Olivia Stallings, Ashley Paige and even Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn.

The drops are meant to brighten red eyes, and they do this by using ingredients that will constrict the blood vessels in the eye.

New York City-based doctor Ashley Brissette, who practices with Weill Cornell Medicine, revealed the important information in a video posted to TikTok

However, Lumify drops are definitely not something that you should be using every day, according to Brissette.

'I love Lumify, I think it's great, but only for special occasions,' she explained in the beginning of the clip.

'Lumify works by binding to a specific receptor on the blood vessels of the conjunctiva, and that's like the clear jelly layer over the white part of your eye,' she continued.

She explained that it causes constriction to make your eyes look whiter, but it's not exactly treating the 'root cause' of your redness problem.

'I think it's great in a pinch, if you have an event to go to, but don't use them everyday,' the doctor said.

'You can get what's called rebound redness. After the effect of the medication has worn off, your blood vessels dilate even more, making your eyes look more red,' Brissette shared.

But, Lumify drops aside, if your eyes are always looking red, it's important to get down to the cause of the problem and see a doctor, she urged.

The ophthalmologist shared that red eyes can be caused by things like dry eye, allergies or blepharitis, which is inflammation of the eyelid. 

The ophthalmologist shared that red eyes can be caused by things like dry eye, allergies or blepharitis, which is inflammation of the eyelid (stock image)

But the good news is that these eye conditions are easily healed. 

'Those are definitely treatable, and then you won't have to use the Lumify all the time, and your eyes will look and feel better,' she explained.

In the comments section of the video clip, one user admitted that they had experienced the rebound redness that Brissette had spoken about while using whitening eyedrops.

'So true, I used it every day for a few weeks and my eyes were so bloodshot and almost looked dried out,' one person wrote.

Another agreed, 'Oooh….I needed this. There was a time I used Lumify pretty frequently.'