Scleral tattooing

Scleral tattooing is the practice of tattooing the sclera, or white part of the human eye. The dye is not injected into the tissue, but between two layers of the eye, where it spreads out over a large area. The process is not common as there are few professionals comfortable doing it.

History

In late 2007, '' Body Modification Ezine'' wrote an article describing the first three scleral tattoo procedures performed on sighted eyes. The artist known as Luna Cobra (Howard "Howie" Rollins) experimented on three volunteers: Shannon Larratt, Joshua Matthew Rahn and Paul Mowery (aka "Pauly Unstoppable", today known a
Farrah Flawless
. Larratt got the idea after Dutch eye surgeon Gerrit R. J. Melles gave Shannon's then-wife Rachel Larratt an eye implant. The technique is similar to the established method practiced by eye surgeons who use implants on their patients for various eye problems, with the difference that it is performed for aesthetic reasons on healthy eyes with visible implants. Rachel Larratt had a small piece of thin platinum jewelry inserted over the sclera, which is the white layer of the eye, and under the conjunctiva, which is a clear layer covering the sclera. The method Melles had developed included injecting a small drop of saline in order to create a fluid-filled pocket that the implant would be inserted into, which would gradually shrink and leave only the jewelry behind. Shannon imagined the saline being replaced with ink, which would spread and end up as a colored layer between the sclera and the conjunctiva, giving the white of the eye a new color.

Being a fan of Frank Herbert's Dune, Shannon had photoshopped the eyes of his own picture to look like the blue eyes of the Fremen in the novel. He and Luna Cobra then devised a method to color his eyes permanently blue. Eventually, Cobra agreed to attempt the procedure if Shannon could find two other people willing to have their eyeballs colored.

Luna Cobra tried two different procedures, the first of which involved covering the needle with ink and puncturing the eye. This method was deemed unsuccessful, and the second method was then attempted. This procedure, in which the sclera was injected with blue dye, was successful. The procedures were "effectively painless because there aren't nerve endings in the surface of the eye," according to Shannon Larratt. The aftereffects included "fairly minor" pain, bruising, and some discomfort, as well as mild blistering between the sclera and conjunctiva. In a 2007 article, Larratt discussed the risks of the procedure and possible complications, including blindness, and warned that it should not be performed without a professional. He also stressed that scleral tattooing is still a new body modification, and potential longterm effects have therefore still not manifested themselves.

Of the three volunteers, only Farrah is still alive, making her the person in the world who has had scleral tattoos for the longest period of time. Both Larratt and Rahn died from causes unrelated to the procedure.

Legislation

United States

In 2009 the Oklahoma Senate passed Senate Bill 844, filed by Oklahoma Senator Cliff Branan and supported by the Oklahoma Academy of Ophthalmology, to make it illegal to tattoo the sclera of the eye. In 2018, Indiana also outlawed scleral tattooing, with a $10,000 fine for violators.

Canada

The Canadian provinces of Ontario (Feb 2017) and Saskatchewan (Jan 2020) have banned scleral tattoos and the implantation of eye jewellery under the conjunctiva.

See also

* Corneal tattooing

References

{{Tattoo

Tattooing by body part