by Janet Trieschman

Created on: January 26, 2009

I have to say I don't get the whole tattoo craze. I can't imagine wanting to put myself through pain for art. Being an artist, there isn't anything I want to create that badly or that permanently on myself.

I have heard; it hurts to be beautiful. I have also heard it is in the eye of the beholder. Both statements are applicable here. Personally, I would say don't tattoo any body part. I would think you couldn't tattoo an eyeball until I learned the following:

A Toronto man has received the first eyeball tattoo. He turned his eyes permanently blue. Well, they think it will stay put. I can't imagine the process to remove it!

First using a tattoo needle but the ink didn't hold so they switched to a syringe, it took about forty injections to fill the whites of his eye and turn it blue. This is not a newly developed process. It has been done for what is called corneal tattooing. Done in patients that have had trauma to their eye. And typically in someone's eye that is blind. These cases have been tattooed to adjust a cornea or a section of the cornea that isn't the same pigment as the rest of the eye.

Corneal tattooing is possible and rather commonplace. It has been done for over 2000 years according to bmezine.com (Body Modification). In the late 19th century and early 20th century, it was used to correct defects within the eye. It is not so commonplace now because prosthetic technology and contact lens can correct these issues more readily.

According to Heidi Lassiter, RN; tattooing the whites of your eye (the sclera) would be possible but not suggested on a fully sighted eye. She said you run the risk of infection with each injection. Her suggestion would be to use a custom fitted contact lens to gain the same effect. But those in the modification community would baulk at that suggestion I am sure.

According to the practitioners, there is no pain since there aren't any nerve endings in the whites of your eye. It seems the recovery time is similar to a regular tattoo, about a week. During this time, it feels like there is something in your eye, but it improves each day.

It appears that while researching this article, I have found others who have done the same sclera tattooing, or tattooing of the whites of their eyes. Oftentimes using only one color, I found one eye that had two different blue inks being used. There was comment but no photos of someone using black and red ink to mimic a demon eye.

While tattooing is readily acceptable in our culture, some body modifications still gain stares and glares. I imagine a tattooed eye to gather quizzical looks and a few rash comments. The possible side effects of which the worst being blindness, don't seems worth the risk.

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