# Eye Tattoo

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 7, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164 "2008-08-07T14:23:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164/1 "2008-08-07T14:23:39Z")

</div>

Saw this [link](http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808030551) (via Romenesko’s Obscure Store & Reading Room). I won’t ever begin to understand why someone would want to do this to their eyes (and I keep wondering if it might be a hoax), but I do want to know how it’s done. The subject of the article says only one person can perform the procedure, but hopefully some Dopers with knowledge of tattooing can provide answers.

Other Questions:  
Is it permanent like other tattoos?  
Can a picture be drawn? (my inner 10 year old shouts “Cool!” at the thought of having another eyeball next to the real one.)  
What are the chances of damaging the eye?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164/2 "2008-08-07T14:27:12Z")

</div>

[http://bmezine.com/tattoo/eye001.html](http://bmezine.com/tattoo/eye001.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164/3 "2008-08-07T17:06:52Z")

</div>

At first I was gonna say “better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick,” but on second thought, no, I won’t.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164/4 "2008-08-07T17:24:10Z")

</div>

People pay to have their eyes look like the blood vessels burst (red version) or to look like they have cataracts (blue version)? I’d like to say that surprises me, but nothing on the Internet really does anymore.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164/5 "2008-08-07T17:24:59Z")

</div>

Oh, sweet Jesus. Why did I click on that link.

The old injury-to-the-eye motif strikes again.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-tattoo/459164/6 "2008-08-07T19:05:54Z")

</div>

I’ve got one non-functional eye, and my kids have always said that replacing it with a prosthetic would give me the opportunity to get festive decorations, pastel stripes for Easter, Jack-O’Lantern for Halloween, a snow globe for Christmas. I always felt like I’d feel stupid if they ever develop the technology to repair my eye the week after I replaced it with a bully taw, so I’ve resisted the impulse, but a tattoo sounds interesting.