The first time I tried Rohto Eye Drops was at the behest of my longtime childhood neighbor friend, Austin. Austin did all the things that a good boy neighbor friend should do: TP-ing my house, locking me out of the fort, tying my shoelaces together and then challenging me to a footrace, inaccurately explaining the male anatomy (years of confusion)... So when we sat in his car before the first day of school senior year and I dribbled the adorable round little vial of drops into my eyes, I thought I was experiencing the worst of all punkings—the stuff burned. “You'll get through it,” he said apathetically, changing the CD while I writhed in pain. Then suddenly I was hit with a jolt of energy, my eyes popped open and everything became startlingly clear���like in the movies after somebody snorts drugs. I felt wide awake, and my eyes became a beautiful, computer-paper white.

I've used Rohto drops regularly since then—they're energizing and moisturizing, and that burning sensation? I was mistaken—that was a cooling sensation. Completely harmless, and you get used to it. I read an interview with a celebrity makeup artist once that said she uses Rohto drops on her clients before red carpets—it really does whiten and brighten your eyes dramatically. So much so, in fact, that I often use the drops in lieu of under-eye concealer. Now that's an eye drop.

—Annie Kreighbaum

Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.