Visine is a brand of eye drops produced by Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson acquired Visine, along with Pfizer's entire consumer healthcare portfolio, in December 2006. In some countries it is called Vispring.
Visine is administered topically with 1 to 2 drops applied to the affected eye up to 4 times daily .
Adverse effects
Those using Visine Original frequently report stinging and burning upon application.
Use of this product can cause a rebound effect causing the redness to worsen. Prolonged use can cause blood vessels to be dilated for an extended period of time. Use should be limited unless specified by a doctor.
A red eye may often be indicative of more serious underlying ocular condition; simply reducing blood flow to the area won't solve the condition and may even exacerbate symptoms.
These drops are also not advised for contact lens wearers because decreased blood flow to the surface of the eye will further lower the levels of oxygen available to the eye.
Visine is not to be used by patients with glaucoma since the production of more liquids only contributes to the problem of high pressure within the eye.
Side effects
A common urban legend is that a few drops of Visine in an unsuspecting victim's drink will cause harmless but debilitating bouts of explosive diarrhea, akin to that of a laxative. This will not produce explosive diarrhea, but oral administration of Visine can induce dangerous side effects related to Visine's ingredient tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride such as:
Anyone ingesting Visine should get medical attention or contact a poison control center immediately. Ingesting Visine was shown to be lethal regarding the case of Lana Clayton who killed her husband by administering Visine to his drinks over a period of three days in July 2018.
Varieties
Visine is formulated in several varieties: VISINE A.C. - Astringent/Redness Reliever Eye Drops
Special formula for allergens, such as ragweed, dust, or pollen.
The effect of Visine causing upset gastrointestinal effects when being ingested is depicted in the movie Wedding Crashers where John Beckwith poisons Sack's drink, causing him to suffer all night. John Beckwith also uses the Visine several times over the course of the film to fake crying. This movie has gained notoriety for encouraging the deadly prank of putting Visine eyedrops in drinking water bottles, threatening severe or fatal injury to drinkers. The urban legend about Visine's explosive diarrhea-inducing capacity is also perpetuated in the movie version of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. In the movie, the main characterTucker Max is making fun of two women at the bar, in which one of them squirts Visine into his beer bottle. This leads to Tucker and an allegedly married woman he leaves the bar with to both have extreme explosive diarrhea. In season 4, episode 3 of Orange Is The New Black, an inmate poisons a fellow inmate using Visine; the poisoned inmate immediately experiences explosive diarrhea.
