What Is Scleral Tattooing? Model's Eye Tattoo Leaves Her Partially Blind

A model is warning others after an eye tattoo gone horribly wrong may leave her completely blind in one eye.

Catt Gallinger, a model from Ottawa, Canada, decided to get a sclera tattoo, which tints the color of the whites around the eye. However, the 24-year-old’s attempt at body art backfired, leaving her partially blind and oozing purple tears.

In a series of posts shared several thousand times on Facebook, Gallinger took it upon herself to inform others of the dangers of sclera tattoos, and has been posting regular updates since her surgery in mid-September.

Gallinger stated she knew something was wrong immediately after the procedure and was rushed to the local hospital. She was administered antibiotic eye drops for a week and a half. However, the drops did not solve the problem and caused the eye to swell completely shut.

“I have been to the hospital three times, I had no furry pets to cause any dander, and I wash my hands every time I do anything with my eye, both before and afterwards. I was on antibiotic drops for the first week and a half and have been on steroid drops for four days now, with little success at bringing down the internal swelling. The external swelling lasted for almost a week,” she wrote.

Her sclera was torn by the size of the needle. Gallinger also wrote the tattoo was botched by “undiluted ink, over injection, not enough/smaller injections sights.”

Speaking to the Sun, Gallinger said she wanted to modify her eye color to "make me feel more at home in my body".

“Look into not just the artist and their portfolio, but to talk to some of their clients, talk to other artists about them and get experiences beforehand,” the model told the Sun, advising those interested in sclera tattoos.

“As of today, I have no intention on ever modeling again,” Gallinger wrote in another emotional update.

The practice of tinting the white of the eye is a relatively new form of body modification and is gaining popularity throughout the world. According to a 2013 article by the Huffington Post, while the tattoos give a look that is striking and irreversible, it is not clear what their long-term effects on vision would be.

Body modification artist Russ Foxx from Vancouver, Canada, told Huffington post that there were a number of known short-term risks associated with injecting too much ink during a sclera tattoo, including prolonged headaches, sensitivity to light, and staining of surrounding tissue due to ink migration.

Foxx who also reiterated Gallinger’s warning and said the profile of the artist who does the tattoo should be studied and caution should be exercised.

“Do not attempt to tattoo eyeballs without proper training and understanding of the anatomy and safety risks involved. Do not let anyone tattoo your eyes if they cannot show you that they have a portfolio and a thorough understanding of the procedure and everything involved,” Foxx said.

He recommended that an open-minded ophthalmologist be consulted to make sure that you do not have any hereditary eye-conditions that may be adversely affected by the tattoo.