What are the effects of ingesting eye drops?

Hello Anonymous,

Welcome to EmpowHER. Thank you for reaching out to our community with your question.

The active ingredient in eye drops such as Visine is tetrahydrozoline HCI. Ingesting this substance can lead to a variety of harmful side effects such as dramatically lowering body temperature, causing severe breathing difficulty, respiratory failure, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, blood pressure fluctuation, tremors, seizures and even coma. Each bottle is labeled with a warning that urges people to seek immediate medical attention or call the poison control center immediately, if this medication is swallowed. With this being said, it is clear that it is absolutely no joke to ever try adding eye drops to anyone's food or beverage. Doing so could result in dire consequences such as severe medical complications or even death.

Regards,
Maryann