Amber, 24, said that she felt like the tattoo artist had “grabbed 10 shards from glass and rubbed them in my eye.” Amber also stated that the procedure was incorrectly done, which left her blind for three consecutive weeks.
This procedure is known as a sclera tattoo. This involves injecting ink underneath the conjunctiva, which is the clear tissue that covers the white portion of the eyes, and over the sclera. Luna Cobra, a body modification expert, came up with the idea. Shannon Larratt also helped to invent it. The late Larratt, who was a writer and founder of BMEzine, founded the first magazine on body modification. He volunteered to help test the process with two other subjects. The process took two years to perfect.
Cobra isn’t recommending the procedure to anyone with colored eyes, even though he has a lot of experience. Cobra explained his hesitation when asked by Allure about performing the procedure.
Cobra said, “To be completely honest, everyone who contacts me about eyeballs tattoos receives the same letter back.” I explain that they should really invest in quality contacts and keep them for a long period of time.
Cobra has tattooed enough of his eyes to be certain that every tattoo is safe, but it doesn’t mean every artist follows the same precautions. Catt Gallinger, a Canadian model, was subject to this exact fate five years ago. Inexperienced artists used undiluted ink on Catt Gallinger’s sclera, creating extreme swelling and blurry eyesight. She was admitted multiple times to the hospital, received multiple medications, and needed eye surgery to prevent blindness.
Although her sight is not lost, it is possible to repair the damage. She updated her status on her eye three years after her original post.
“I still have problems to this day. Gallinger stated that she has less vision and is unable to see outside of one eye when it’s [sic] sunny because of pain, random swelling, ink from it spreading through her bloodstream, and itchy eyes.
Her viral post generated a lot of attention. It could have indirectly inspired legislation in states such as Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington. It is also prohibited in certain Canadian provinces.
The process was actually inspired by Frank Herbert’s series “Dune”. Blue eyes are a result of exposure to “melange” by the native Fremen of Arrakis, which is why they have blue eyes. Andrea Tooley, MD is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Byrdie, a beauty magazine, told her that safer options exist.
Tooley said, “I cannot stress it enough: Be kind and skip the eye tattoo.” “Safe, FDA-approved alternatives exist, including FDA-approved contact lenses.
