The ink itself can also cause an infection. Tattoo artists who do not use clean needles to inject the ink into the eye can cause eye infections. This includes Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. If the equipment that a tattoo artist uses is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract a bloodborne disease. Eye InfectionsĪny tattoo can cause a bloodborne disease, infection, or allergic reaction. They may miss signs and symptoms of bigger issues, which can result in vision loss over time. Your eye doctor will have a more challenging time examining your eyes during annual exams if your sclera is tattooed. If an eye tattoo is not done right, it can cause severe problems and pain.Įven if the tattoo does not cause any eyesight issues during the injection, it can cause problems later. The ink can bleed into the retina or the surrounding eye tissue. But if the tattoo artist does not inject the needle with perfect precision, they may unintentionally inject the ink inside the eye. The injection should go beneath the conjunctiva. Tattooing the sclera can result in decreased vision, or worse, total vision loss.

Here are some of the biggest risks to keep in mind if you are considering a sclera tattoo: 1.

There are also no licenses or certifications for these types of tattoos.Įyeball tattoos are unsafe. Tattoo artists do not receive formal training for eyeball tattoos. Tattoos on the whites of the eyes have not been medically reviewed or scientifically studied. There are many risks of tattooing your eyeballs, a permanent procedure. Her eye tattoo led to severe ocular inflammation, secondary glaucoma, and a cataract. In 2018, a 21-year-old female was the subject of a similar study. The second case was about a 17-year-old man who developed two sub-episcleral nodules in the ink injection sites immediately after he got an eye tattoo. 3 The first case was of a 26-year-old man who developed orbital cellulitis and posterior scleritis within hours of getting an eye tattoo. 6Īlso in 2017, doctors Paul Freund and Mark Greve from the University of Alberta in Canada, shared a report on a male who suffered severe vision loss just 3 days after getting an eye tattoo. Gallinger also endured pain and blurred vision. She had purple liquid oozing from her eyes following the tattoo procedure. In 2017, Catt Gallinger, a Canadian tattoo model, made world news after posting on Facebook about her experience. These laws followed several eyeball tattoos that went wrong, particularly in the late 2010s. Tattooing the sclera is illegal in Oklahoma, Indiana, and Washington. Eyeball tattoos are uncommon because few tattoo artists are comfortable or willing to do them.

Eye for an eye tattoo