Why Smoking Weed Makes Your Eyes Red

One of the most distinguishing aspects of a marijuana high is glaringly red eyes. Despite putting on perfume, washing your hands and acting your heart out to look as normal as possible, red eyes can easily break your cover. Luckily, bloodshot eyes are temporary and painless — they just make you look high as hell. Why does this even happen?

Crazily enough, weed eyes have little to do with the act of smoking, even if that’s what we usually associate them with. This physical reaction occurs when your blood pressure drops and your heart rate increases, which is all due to the THC in your system.

When your blood pressure drops, your blood vessels and capillaries dilate, including the ones in your eyes. This dilation increases blood flow, turning your eyes red and reducing intraocular pressure. Because of this, some experts believe marijuana could be a viable treatment for glaucoma.

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So, will your eyes turn red regardless of consumption method? It all depends on the potency and the amount of THC consumed and your individual sensitivities. For example, some people are more sensitive to smoke and therefore joints can make their eyes more red. There are also people who could be allergic to smoke or cannabis.

Bloodshot eyes depend on a lot of factors. In order to prevent them, stick to strains that have low THC content. If your eyes get bloodshot, you can try having some water, using eye drops and waiting for the effects to pass.

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The redder your eyes, the more your blood pressure drops, and the more potent the THC is. That’s why bright red eyes are usually a pretty good indicator of someone who’s pretty high.