Definition

A photographic defect in which the eyes of a subject appear bright red or pink due to light from a camera flash reflecting off the retina and back into the lens. Red eye occurs most noticeably in low-light conditions when the pupil is dilated.

Example Usage

The flash caused red eye in the family photo, but I was able to fix it with photo editing software.

Origin

Descriptive term from the literal appearance of reddened pupils in photographs; became standard terminology in the 1970s-80s.

Fun Fact

Many modern cameras include an automatic 'red eye reduction' mode that fires a pre-flash to constrict the subject's pupils before the main exposure.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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