Even people who have never experimented with cannabis before know about this common – almost stereotypical – symptom of marijuana use. Red eyes.
But very few people – even those with some past experience of using cannabis – can answer the question:
Why does smoking cannabis make your eyes red?
First of all, let’s just state up front that this very common side-effect isn’t dangerous. It’s also unlikely to be a sign that you have allergies.
In this article, we’ll look into the details relating to eating, smoking, and vaping marijuana and why even eating a weed cookie or using your go-to disposable THC vape pen is likely to turn your eyes red.
Why does smoking cannabis make your eyes red?
It’s not actually the “smoking” part that matters. No matter how you consume cannabis – in a joint, as an edible, in a tincture, or using a disposable THC vape – it’s not the method that is important.
It’s actually the THC. Using THC has two effects we need to understand in relation to causing post-cannabis consumption red eyes:
1) Changing your blood pressure
1) Changing your blood pressure
When you take THC and other cannabinoids into your body, they bind with your endocannabinoid system. This is largely responsible for most of the effects that marijuana is known for.
One of those effects is to raise your heart rate and blood pressure. The amount these go up by is roughly the same as the result of some light exercise.
After about five or ten minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure will come back to normal. But as your blood pressure comes back down, it causes your blood vessels and capillaries to dilate. This includes the ocular capillaries – the ones in your eyes.
2) Dilation and intraocular pressure
Now that your ocular capillaries are dilated, more blood can flow through them. This means your eyes start looking a bit redder than usual. It also means that your intraocular pressure is reduced. This is actually an interesting side-effect of marijuana use that is currently being studied in relation to glaucoma and other eyes conditions.
For the purposes of the subject of red eyes though, all we need to know is that it’s the THC binding with your endocannabinoid receptors and the short chain reaction of effects that starts that leads to marijuana’s famous effect on your eyes.
Does THC oil make your eyes red?
It absolutely can. As long as a product contains THC, it’s possible that it will turn your eyes red. Even something that isn’t smoked or that doesn’t taste much like cannabis – such as K.I.N.D. Sweet Karts in disposable THC vape pen format or edibles like brownies. If they’ve got THC in, red eyes can result.
As a rule, the more THC that is present, the more likely you are to experience red eyes. That said, much like different strains of marijuana can have different effects on different people, there are a few other factors that govern whether you will experience red eyes when smoking. Or, more accurately, whether or not the red eyes you experience will be noticeable (or very noticeable).
Some of the most common factors affecting how much you experience red eyes include:
- Gender – whether you are male or female.
- Genetics – whether you have any inherited factors that affect your blood pressure primarily. But allergies to smoke, whether the result of genetics or not, can also be a factor.
- Blood pressure – if you have a naturally high blood pressure for any reason – this could be inherited or the result of poor health, for example – you are likely to need a higher quantity of THC in order to get red eyes. If you have a lower blood pressure normally, you won’t require much THC to quickly raise and lower it. Thus, red eyes are likely to be a more common thing for you.
Does vaping THC oil make your eyes red?
As we’ve seen, it’s the amount of THC you consume and your own natural blood pressure (which has many contributory factors) and, in turn, how much that is raised and lowered by that govern whether your eyes turn red after using cannabis.
When it comes to vaping THC oil, we’re likely to be using – if anything – more THC than we would when using other methods to experience marijuana. This means that using a reusable or disposable THC pen might – controlling for a person’s blood pressure – possibly cause more red eye rather than less.
This might particularly be the case for the more potent types of vape out there. For example, the K.I.N.D. Resin Disposable THC vape pen is strain-specific and loaded with a full-spectrum product that can create the powerful “entourage effect”.
It’s a great way to enjoy taking cannabis in a discreet and convenient way, even when you are out for the night or having fun outdoors. But it’s also very potent. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because some THC pen disposables are quite light that they all are. Part of working out how to use a THC vape pen properly is to make sure you’re using a dose that’s right for you.
Marijuana makes my eyes red – solutions
If you regularly experience an eye-reddening effect after using cannabis, there’s no reason to be alarmed. The effect is harmless, shouldn’t be a problem, and should fade away within an hour or two.
However, if you don’t like the look of the effect or regularly need to take cannabis during the day and don’t like the idea of walking around with red eyes, there are a few things you can do to get some relief:
- Use eye drops – most eye drops you find in your local pharmacy that are designed to tackle redness, itching, or allergies should help alleviate the redness caused by THC.
- Take some caffeine – caffeine and other stimulants can lead to vasoconstriction, bringing your capillaries back towards their normal size. Caffeine can be found in coffee and tea, of course. But you can also find it in dark chocolate and other food and drinks.
- Soak in cold water – cold water can also cause vasoconstriction. Splashing your face with cold water, taking a cold shower, or putting an ice pack across your eyes should all help reduce the red eye effect.
- Wear sunglasses – perhaps an obvious one, but you can take cosmetic steps like wearing sunglasses to disguise your red eyes until they wear off.
- Stay hydrated – as well as applying water to your eyes or your body externally, make sure you get some of that good old H2O inside your body too. Staying hydrated is a good idea pretty much any time. It’s not necessarily a specific against red eyes – in fact, it may not have much of an impact on your eyes at all – but it will generally make you feel better. This is a benefit if you associate red eyes with feeling groggy or otherwise uncomfortable.
Choose strains with lower THC levels
Choose strains with lower THC levels
We’ve touched on before that you can get THC oil pen disposables in various types and potencies. We also now know that the lower the levels of THC you consume, the less likely you are to suffer from red eyes.
This means the logical solution is often to choose specific strains or products that have a lower THC content. You may not experience quite the same potency of effect. But if red eyes are really causing you problems, this might be a solution.
Plan your vaping times
Need to go out later? Know you often experience red eyes? Don’t want to be showing them to the world?
The simplest solution is often the best. Simply plan to use your vape well in advance, leaving your eyes plenty of time to get back to normal.
