+++ please refer to my user profile about me page and follow my recommendations how to use my mods as an addition to nexusmods terms +++

why playing hd skyrim with 4k skin but blocky eyes or contact lens effects ?

if you are happy stick with your settings - if not try my mod and compare!

i use nearly lossless bc7 1k compressed high res eye normal map for vivid eye experience, crystal clear eye reflections and smooth shadows, no contact lens effect. includes most vanilla races and main character using these races.
optional all in one package including normal maps for argonians and werewolves is uploaded.

the included mipmaps guarantee lowest possible use of ram while providing highest possible resolution being close to the eyes for screen archery.

take care not to use mods doing the same and using the same texture as my mod. they will overwrite each other depending on the load order.
in my opinion the eye normal map does not need any contact lens like fix but instead it needs high resolution and a seamless texture, free of blocky compression artifacts. with my mod you are free to use all kind of iris sizes without any iris related seam problem and you get rid of all low res related blocky shadows and seams.
so it's a matter of taste to decide and to compare which eye normal map mod delivers or "fixes" with the most realistic and compatible result. 

for some custom races, eye mods and patches using its own eyebrown_n.dds file. please read my whole description if you want to be sure how you can configure my mod to cover all nonstandard, custom mods dealing with eyes, like custom races, followers and eye mods.
If you still encounter limited eye quality check if my mod works, check your enb eye settings and check if the main rgb eye texture is limited in quality or resolution. also check for a capable eye mesh (see my recommendation below) including quality eye reflection cubemaps.

if you like smooth, natural and even closeup image capable eyes i would recommend to give my mod a try.
no more close ups with blocky human eye shadows, contact lens effect or artifacts.  even main characters and all npc eyes will look better ;)

the found solution is quite simple but effective as you can see in the screenshots. most of the work was testing and comparing the available solutions and ideas and then to find the best result.

you can use enb (eye reflections in the eye settings menu) to alter the settings for the best reflection intensity and recommend this combination.

it's just a small texture replacer. no performance impact, no esp an no mod incompatibilities except a mod uses the same texture.

an optional package covering some common mods and a readme with explanation how to cover more mods is also available mods included:
the ordinary women
breezy followers
toccata follower
SBF all in one
lunari warriors
(as far as compatible with sse)
have also a look at some eye mods using still low res eyebrown_n.dds file.

you can cover most of the custom mods if you search for the eyebrown_n.dds file in all the mod folders of your skyrim game. use your file explorer. if you find a low res one compatible with my mod just overwrite it with my high res file replacer.

i recommed SUEMR SSE mod as it provides the eye meshes working perfectly together with my normal map mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/18147

credits to the gimp and the normal map filter plugin developer

you are welcome to use this texture for your follower or npc mods. if you credit me in your mod you do not need to ask me for approval.

you may watch my other sse mods here.

have fun playing skyrim!