Photo help · eye visibility
Review hair, glasses, reflections and eye-socket shadows behind a DS-160 eye-visibility message, then check your original photo.
Your photo · your application route
Photo stays in this browser
Print at 2 × 2 inches (50.8 × 50.8 mm exact). Keep your real appearance and original background. The official page also describes this as 51 × 51 mm.
JPEG, PNG, WebP or HEIC/HEIF · up to 20 MB. Browser support varies for HEIC. No photo is sent to a server.
Start with your real photo.
We locate your face, suggest framing and flag possible pose problems. You review the remaining requirements.
Local analysis & measured facts
A correct file size does not make a photo acceptable. This check does not replace the authority’s final review.
Choose a photo to see measured format, byte size and pixel dimensions, alongside the items that need your confirmation.
01 · Know the requirement
Hair across an eye, a glasses frame, lens glare or a hat brim can hide eye detail. Even without an object in the way, overhead or side lighting can put the eye sockets in shadow. This guide cannot identify the exact reason used by the portal.
02 · Choose your next step
Keep hair away from the eyes, face the camera at eye level and use soft front light. For US visa photos, follow the official eyeglass rule and its documented medical exception rather than assuming reflection removal is sufficient. Do not edit an eye into an open position.
03 · Review before submission
If the portal mentions both eyes and poor illumination, inspect the light around the eye sockets first, then check for hair or frames. Retake the photo instead of digitally repainting shadows or facial details.
Teaching examples · simulated effects on a licensed demonstration photo
Illustrations explain capture problems. They are not official examples, detector results or evidence of government acceptance. Retake the real photo rather than applying these effects.
Official sources · checked 2026-11-06
Requirements can change. The authority’s current instructions and final review take precedence.
Questions about this task
The general rule is to remove eyeglasses, with a specific medical exception described by the authority. Read that exception if it applies to you.
Keep the eyes clearly visible. Move hair out of the way before taking the photo rather than editing it afterward.
Overhead light can leave the eye sockets in shadow. Try soft light from in front of the face at roughly eye level.
No. The tool does not change facial appearance or paint over reflections. Retake with eyes open and unobstructed.
No. It means this tool cannot reliably judge that visual requirement. You need to inspect it and follow the authority’s instructions.
Shadows around the eyes can be part of uneven facial lighting. Review both this page and the lighting guide; the wording does not establish the exact rejection cause.
