A few decades ago, tattoos were marginalized and restricted to a small section of society. Today, that narrative has changed. Skin designs are increasingly accepted and embraced as a form of artistic expression. Some people even risk tattooing their eyes. But is this practice safe?

The answer is no. Although often performed with the aim of standing out and enhancing a personal style, eyeball tattoos – or sclerotic tattoos – pose a risk to eye health and can cause permanent damage. Therefore, the procedure is not advised by the Brazilian Society of Ophthalmology (SBO).

How is an eye tattoo done?

The sclera tattoo is done on the sclera. It is the white part of the eyeball, commonly called “white of the eye”.

To tattoo the sclera, it is necessary to insert the ink at a specific point in the area, under its surface, using a needle. This procedure must be performed several times on each eye.

Such repetition represents a risk. Indeed, the correct area to insert the needle, located in the bulbar conjunctiva – part of the tissue that covers the anterior area of ​​the sclera – is millimetric. During these rehearsals, it is possible that the tattoo artist will make a mistake at some point.

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Just like a normal tattoo, this procedure is irreversible and costs around R$1,000 in Brazil.

eye tattoo risks

In addition to the risk of errors at the time of the intervention, eye tattooing can have other consequences on ocular health. Between them:

inflammations

A possible consequence of an eye injury is uveitis, an inflammation of the eyeball that can cause pain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, and other problems.

infections

Using contaminated or improperly sterilized needles can lead to infections such as hepatitis. Additionally, the ink can also cause infections leading to loss of vision.

Changes in the eye environment can cause problems that lead to vision loss. In these cases, it is often not possible to reverse the situation, even refractive surgery or other repair procedures.

Due to the delicacy of the area where the needle is inserted, it is possible that the needle will be stuck deeper than normal. If this happens, in addition to excruciating pain, vision loss (temporary or permanent) is imminent.

It can also be the result of too much ink applied by the tattoo artist, an act that can cause eye pressure, glaucoma and blindness.

eye loss

Many problems caused by sclera tattooing can only occur after some time in the procedure. When aggravated, they can lead to the complete removal of the affected eyes.

Five stories you need to know before you think about tattooing your eyes

Anaya Peterson

Anaya Peterson shared her story on her social media after getting both eyes tattooed. The Jamaican living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, developed a “sight threatening eye disease associated with fluids affecting the central part of it”. In addition to the eye disease, Anaya developed inflammation and swelling of her skin. The 32-year-old claims to have lost the ability to read and see faces accurately.

Aleksandra Sadowska

After tattooing her eyes, Aleksandra Sadowska suffered blindness in one eye and damage to the other. The Polish woman, who felt pain after the procedure, was told by her tattoo artist that it was something normal. As a result, he completely lost sight in his right eye. In his left eye, he has irreparable damage which includes cataracts, damaged cornea and others.

Catt Gallinger

On her social media, Canadian Catt Gallinger shared the risks of sclera tattooing. In your case, the tattoo artist did not dilute the ink properly and applied it too much. The result? Although she didn’t lose her eye, the model did lose some of her vision.