Prey eyes are round, open eyes with a higher brow, a neutral or slightly downward tilt at the outer corners, and some white showing below the iris. The term is online slang, coined as the opposite of hunter eyes. Measure your own eye tilt and proportions with our free attractiveness test, on your device.
Where the prey eyes idea comes from
Prey eyes and hunter eyes were coined together on online forums in the late 2010s. The forums compared deep set, narrow eyes to a predator and round, open eyes to the animals it hunts, and they ranked one above the other. Journalists have since written about how that ranking pushed some people toward risky attempts to change their eyes.
The comparison makes for a catchy meme, but it is not science. Eye doctors do not use the terms, and no research shows that one shape is more attractive. Large, open eyes are widely described as warm and friendly, which is the opposite of what the meme suggests.
Prey eyes vs hunter eyes, trait by trait
| Trait | Prey eyes | Hunter eyes |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | Round, tall opening | Narrow, long opening |
| Brow | Higher, often arched | Low and straight |
| Upper lid | Clearly visible | Mostly hidden |
| Tilt | Neutral or slightly down | Slightly up |
| White below the iris | Often visible | Not visible |
| Common description | Open, warm, friendly | Focused, intense |
Most real eyes sit somewhere between the two. You might have a high brow with no white below the iris, or a slight downward tilt with deep set eyes.
How to tell which you have
Look straight into a mirror in even light, relax your face and check four things.
- The white below the iris. If you can see a line of white between your iris and your lower lid, that is called scleral show, a prey eye trait.
- Your tilt. Imagine a line from your inner to your outer corner. Level or slightly downward points toward prey eyes. Our guide to negative canthal tilt explains the downward version.
- Your brow. A brow set well above the eye with lots of lid showing is typical of prey eyes.
- Your outline. Round and tall rather than long and narrow.
Our golden ratio face test measures your eye tilt in degrees from a selfie.
What shapes the eyes
The shape of the eye opening comes mostly from the bones around the eye, the position of the lids and the tendons that anchor the corners. Genes decide most of it. Age changes it a little, as the lower lid and the outer corner loosen over time, which can add some white below the iris and a slight downward tilt. Tiredness, allergies and swelling change how eyes look from day to day.
A note on health. Eye shape on its own is not a health sign, and every shape on this page is normal. If one eye suddenly looks different from the other, or white starts showing below the iris when it did not before, show it to an eye doctor.
Why open eyes read as friendly
People read emotion from the eyes. Wide eyes go with surprise and interest, and round eyes with a raised brow look open and attentive. Children have large eyes for the size of their face, so round eyes also read as youthful. That is why the same traits the meme calls prey are often praised as doe eyes in beauty writing.
Makeup ideas for round, open eyes
If you want to lean into the open look, use a light shade on the lid, a rounded crease and mascara on the center lashes. If you want to try a more focused look for a day, these tricks help.
- Brows. Fill the brows a little straighter and fuller, with the tail level or slightly lifted.
- Lower lid. Tightline the lower waterline with a soft brown pencil, which hides some of the white below the iris.
- Upper lid. A thin line along the upper lashes with a small upward flick at the outer corner adds lift.
- Shadow. Blend a matte taupe into the crease to add depth.
All of it washes off. Neither look is the right one.
Scleral show explained
Scleral show is the medical name for white showing between the iris and the lower lid when you look straight ahead. A thin line of white is common and is part of many round, open eyes. It can come from the shape of the eye socket, the position of the lower lid, a slightly forward eye, or simply from the way you hold your face in a photo.
Scleral show tends to increase a little with age as the lower lid loosens. It also changes with expression. Raising your brows or opening your eyes wide shows more white, and a gentle smile lifts the lower lid and shows less. That is why the same person can look prey eyed in one photo and hunter eyed in another.
Prey eyes in photos
- Camera height. A camera above your eyes makes you look up, which shows more white below the iris. A camera at eye level gives the most neutral look.
- Expression. Relax your brows and let a slight smile reach your eyes to lift the lower lids.
- Light. Soft light from the front fills the eye socket evenly, while light from above deepens the brow shadow.
Eye shape and expression
Much of what people read from eyes comes from expression rather than shape. Wide eyes signal surprise and attention, narrowed eyes signal focus or amusement. That is why the hunter and prey labels say more about a moment than about a person. The same face can move between them in seconds.
Prey eyes in men and women
The meme is usually aimed at men, but the traits are the same in everyone. Round, open eyes are widely praised in women as doe eyes and in men as a warm, approachable look. The only difference is the label people choose.
The bottom line
Prey eyes and hunter eyes are two ends of a meme, not a scale of beauty. Our face tools never rank features. They measure angles and distances, then show how yours compare with the range of real faces, with a reminder that geometry says nothing about your worth.