Do you want to pretend you have conjunctivitis? Maybe it's Friday morning, you are broken and you really need to take the day off, or you are preparing a different joke at your sister's expense … Whatever the case may be, your goal is to create the illusion of red eyes and infected. To do this, all you need to do is simulate the symptoms of conjunctivitis - redness, tearing and discharge. Here are some quick and easy ways to do it.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Make Your Eyes Redden
Step 1. Make your eyes dry
When they are not hydrated enough, they can become inflamed and red. If you try to blink as little as possible for about 30 minutes, they will start to get irritated from poor lubrication. You can speed up the process by sitting in front of a fan and avoiding blinking, but remember one thing! The eyelids are blinked for a very specific reason, that is to protect the eyes, so if the discomfort were to be excessive, start doing it again normally and maybe even apply eye drops to recover lost hydration.
Step 2. Scrub around the eye area
The ophthalmologist will have told you millions of times not to rub your eyes, as you risk contaminating and irritating them. You could also damage the cornea, which is the transparent membrane that protects the iris. Rubbing your eyes makes them redden and highlights the veins, so it allows you to get the desired result. To protect them during this procedure, only rub the area around the eyes and only indirectly stimulate the eyes.
Do not rub the eyeballs and eyelids directly: this will avoid damaging the cornea and contaminating the eyes. You will only slightly irritate them and get the desired result
Step 3. Swim in the pool
Sometimes a swim is enough to end up with red lids and bloodshot eyes. It is quite common for this to happen: this is due to the irritants found in the pool. When the cornea comes into contact with water, the protective tear film can be shed, making the eyes vulnerable to irritants.
- Chlorine can irritate the eyes. This chemical is used in swimming pools to kill germs and bacteria left behind by people. Are you wondering what microorganisms are these? Those that come from sebum, dirt and even urine (one in five adults admits to peeing in the pool). Chlorine can kill most but not all bacteria, so once the protective tear film is removed they can get into the eyes and irritate them.
- Swimming can help you pretend you have conjunctivitis, but if you're not careful you risk actually contracting it. This infection is of bacterial origin and is very common among people who use the pool. Try to figure out if you should take the risk of getting conjunctivitis just as you try to fake it.
Part 2 of 3: Stimulate Tearing
Step 1. Cut an onion
Slicing an onion is known to cause watery eyes, so it's a quick and easy way to start making your eyes red and get the desired effect.
- When an onion is cut, it generates a substance called syn-propanethial-S-oxide, a sulfur-based compound, and releases it into the air. Once it reaches the eyes, the tear glands begin to secrete liquid to eliminate this irritant.
- Sweet onions produce less syn-propanethial-S-oxide than other variants, as the high sugar and water content can dull irritating enzymes. So, if you really want to cry, choose red or white onions over sweet yellow ones.
Step 2. Use the eye drops
If you don't feel like trying too hard, then buy some eye drops at the pharmacy. Usually the instructions indicate to apply only one or two drops. To create an illusion of watery eyes, use a little more and let it flow over your face. Do not wipe them off your cheeks to give the impression that your eyes are constantly watering.
Step 3. Use a menthol stick
Have you ever wondered how actors cry on command? Some are really talented, others use this product. A menthol stick is a tube containing a substance with a waxy consistency. To use it you have to rub it under your eyes and wait for them to start watering. It is a method commonly used in theatrical productions to create realistic crying scenes. If you want to pretend you have conjunctivitis, why not go all the way into the part and do what a real professional would do?
Part 3 of 3: Simulating Secretions
Step 1. Do not remove any crusts that have formed during the night
If you have recently woken up, chances are you have dirt or scabs in the corners of your eyes. Since conjunctivitis causes similar secretions, leaving them as they are allows you to refine the simulation.
Step 2. Apply clear lip gloss or petroleum jelly under the eyes
Conjunctivitis can cause secretions of different colors and thicknesses depending on the severity of the infection. In most cases they are thick and transparent. If you apply clear lip gloss or petroleum jelly about 15mm under the eyes, it will appear that they are producing a thick liquid.
- Make sure the lip gloss doesn't contain glitter, or people will understand that it's all a farce.
- Also, after applying lip gloss or petroleum jelly, be sure not to rub your eyes: if these substances get inside them, they could give you a huge annoyance, not to mention that they are not good for the bulbs.
Step 3. Don't wipe the tears from your eyes
If you have managed to produce a lot of tears and simulate perfect conjunctivitis, you should let them accumulate in the inner rim and around the eyelids. If the victim of the joke is a true gullible, you could convince her that the tears are thin, transparent secretions.
Advice
- To perfect conjunctivitis, squint and blink frequently. The infection makes them photosensitive, so if you want to get into the part well, you need to look like you're having a hard time keeping your eyes wide open.
- Conjunctivitis often causes blurred or impaired vision, so pretending not to see well will convince others that the infection is true.
