Lifestyle

EYE-OPENING REVELATIONS

Cindy Crawford Shares Health Diagnosis That Shook Her Confidence

The modeling legend said her condition eventually became visible in photos.

Tamilore OshikanluBreaking News Intern

PublishedMay 27, 2026, 5:34 PM EDT

UpdatedMay 27, 2026, 5:35 PM EDT

Updated May 27, 2026, 5:35 PM EDTPublished May 27, 2026, 5:34 PM EDT

Comments

Supermodel Cindy Crawford says her world-famous gaze started to betray her after she turned 50.

The modeling legend told People in an interview published on Wednesday that she has spent roughly a decade dealing with blepharoptosis, a condition that causes the upper eyelid to droop, and in some cases, can cause nerve issues and obscure vision.

For Crawford, 60, her eyes were never just another feature. They were part of the job. She said photographer Richard Avedon drilled that into her while shooting her first Vogue cover in 1986, giving her advice she still uses decades later.

“He told me, ‘Every time you look at the camera, have a thought in your head because I can see it in your eyes,’” Crawford said. “I think I was 21 at the time, but I still use that to this day and it just helped me realize how important our eyes are in communication.”

'I'M TOO POOR FOR THIS'

Cindy Crawford Ridiculed Over ‘Out of Touch’ Morning Routine

Roosa Rahkonen

But around the time she turned 50, Crawford said she noticed her eyes no longer had the same wide-awake look that helped define her career.

“I could see on camera that my eyes just weren’t quite as perky as they once were,” she said.

Early call times became harder to handle, and her glam eventually needed to physically “pick up” her eyelids to properly apply and blend makeup in her otherwise obstructed creases.

Crawford has now signed on as an ambassador for Upneeq, an FDA-approved prescription eye drop used to treat acquired blepharoptosis. The once-daily treatment claims to provide an average eyelid lift of about 1 millimeter, helping eyes look more open in as little as five minutes and last for up to eight hours.

Crawford said her dermatologist first introduced her to the drops two years ago.

Play Video

“So I tried it. At first, I was only using it for shoots or when I really wanted to be on‚” she said. “But when I realized you can use it every day, I was like, ‘Why not?’ It’s [one of] those little things we can do to feel like the best version of ourselves.”

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman, who did not treat Crawford, told People that acquired blepharoptosis can happen with age when “the muscle that controls the upper eyelid gets weakened.” She said Upneeq works by activating that muscle to help make the eyes appear more open.

RISE AND SHINE

Supermodel Cindy Crawford, 60, Reveals Her Morning Routine

Roosa Rahkonen

Crawford, who has spoken openly about using nonsurgical treatments including Botox, collagen injections, and vitamin injections, said she likes the drops because they do not feel like a dramatic intervention.

“It’s not a big commitment. You’re not going under the knife,” she said.

Crawford added that she is not trying to look like her 25-year-old self again. She just wants to look rested.

“I just want to feel like the best version of me,” she said. “I don’t want to look tired. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard.”

The model also keeps a strict wellness routine. She said she usually starts her day with an early-morning workout, followed by applying Upneeq drops, skincare from her Meaningful Beauty line, dry brushing, gua sha, and red light therapy.

Despite the lengthy regimen, Crawford relies on one anti-aging trick that she says matters more than anything else: keeping up with her remarkably voluminous brunette hair.

“People talk about so many different things for anti-aging, but hair color is probably the biggest for me,” she said. “This color is a pain to keep it up. But, when I look in the mirror, I see myself still. And, I am all for things that just help me look more like me.”

Tamilore OshikanluBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast.