# Eyeball tattoos - yay or nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030 "2015-01-17T00:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/1 "2015-01-17T00:24:15Z")
I can’t say this is something I’ve come across before and I was wondering about peoples opinions. I’m not a fan of tattoo’s in general (too permenant for my liking) though I admit _some_ tattoo’s on _some_ people are pretty neat. But permenantly colouring my eyeball? No frikken way! > **[Why would anyone want an eyeball tattoo?](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30750361)** > > The sentencing of a convicted criminal with an eyeball tattoo in an Alaskan court has drawn attention to an unusual form of facial decoration - the eyeball tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/2 "2015-01-17T00:34:29Z")
… Gah. No…GAH. The concept behind it, having differently coloured sclera…that I can dig. But…gah! (And if I COULD deal with having a needle in my eye, I’d go with a light colour like the girl later down, in the hopes that broken blood vessels could be seen through it, if I’d, you know, coughed myself to broken blood vessels in the eye again.) ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/3 "2015-01-17T00:40:01Z")
A tattoo for my skin, sure if I like it. A tattoo for my eye? Hell no! More power to those who want this but it isn’t for me. ---
**Author:** ![tuesdayweld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@tuesdayweld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tuesdayweld)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/4 "2015-01-17T00:54:38Z")
Nay. Wouldn’t choose to do that to myself. Also, I’d be pretty freaked out if I saw that on the pillow next to me upon waking. Just not in the realm of what I find attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/5 "2015-01-17T01:02:16Z")
I like the quote in the article about what it feels like: “It feels like someone is poking you in the eye.” Really, I thought it would feel pleasant… (Not that this is anything new, I’ve seen eyeball tats for several years now. But still, ugh EW EW NO.) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/6 "2015-01-17T08:00:47Z")
I’ve never even wanted a skin tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/7 "2015-01-17T08:10:09Z")
Good lord, no. And I say this as a person with several “traditional” tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/8 "2015-01-17T09:17:52Z")
It seems way too risky to me. No one’s going to be messing around in my eyes with a needle unless it’s a doctor doing it for necessary medical reasons. Even if it was proven to be absolutely safe, it seems like the social consequences would be as bad as or worse than facial tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/9 "2015-01-17T12:44:47Z")
> [@tuesdayweld](#): > > Nay. Wouldn’t choose to do that to myself. Also, I’d be pretty freaked out if I saw that on the pillow next to me upon waking. Just not in the realm of what I find attractive. “Here’s looking at you kid” 😃 > [@](#): > > Garth says the reaction to her eyes has been universally positive. That’s not the way I’ve understood, “Your eyes match your hair/outfit” when it’s been said in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/10 "2015-01-17T13:37:15Z")
Hell no! I’d be nervous as hell letting a trained medical professional with years of experience come near my eye with needles, let alone the tattoo guy (assuming it was an actual licensed tattooist, not a prison buddy or something). Also hell no to the face tattoos, which practically scream “I’m never going to hold down a job again”. And eyelid tattoos while we’re at it. BTW I have 3 non face/eyeball tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/11 "2015-01-17T13:46:05Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > It seems way too risky to me. No one’s going to be messing around in my eyes with a needle unless it’s a doctor doing it for necessary medical reasons. Yup, this. I had LASIK a few years back and needed a couple of Valium to get through it. I can’t imagine how many drugs I’d need to get through a non-physician sticking a needle in my eyeball. > [@](#): > > Even if it was proven to be absolutely safe, it seems like the social consequences would be as bad as or worse than facial tattoos. Agree. And I bet the tattooed eyeballs and forked tongues and elf ears and stretched earlobes are going to look \*\*\*great \*\*\*when these people are middle-aged and older. ETA: I have a traditional tattoo myself. I’ve also had body piercings. But anything that can’t be hidden or un-done…um, no. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/12 "2015-01-17T13:50:44Z")
For a minute I thought the criminal’s sentence had been _to get_ an eyeball tattoo. Anyway . . . If you want to do it, sure, go ahead. I don’t think it’s any more stigmatizing than facial tattoos, especially if you get a light color like the girl. You could achieve a similar - or even greater - effect with specially made contact lenses, but to each their own. And the immediate “ugh!” reactions of everyone here is part of the reason why it’s gaining popularity. Tattoos have become mainstream - suburban moms have butterflies on their ankles. The element of social rebellion, of having Decent People stare at you in disgust and fear, has vanished. While I’m not saying that makes eyeball tattoos any less stupid, it makes more sense when you see that the isolation is a feature rather than a bug. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/13 "2015-01-17T14:05:10Z")
Since it’s too late to edit: look at what you can do with [fully black contact lenses](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/60W23r7y6Rc/maxresdefault.jpg). Sure, still definitely not my cup of tea, but you get a better pigment with no risk of blindness, and you can just _take them out_. Clearly, the desire here isn’t for colored eyeballs - it’s to do something crazy to mark yourself as “different”. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/14 "2015-01-17T14:23:55Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > Since it’s too late to edit: look at what you can do with [fully black contact lenses](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/60W23r7y6Rc/maxresdefault.jpg). Sure, still definitely not my cup of tea, but you get a better pigment with no risk of blindness, and you can just _take them out_. Clearly, the desire here isn’t for colored eyeballs - it’s to do something crazy to mark yourself as “different”. That’s just plain freaky. Wearing them around town would certainly provoke a few reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/15 "2015-01-18T01:41:23Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > That’s just plain freaky. Wearing them around town would certainly provoke a few reactions. If you think those are weird, look at [some](http://www.eyesbright.com/images/product/main/split-eye.jpg) [of](http://www.youknowit.com/img/products/WHITE-SCREEN-contact-lenses.jpg) [the](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/14/article-2048930-0E5D38B400000578-758_306x423.jpg) [others](http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files/images/100_3028_0.lightbox.JPG). You never realize how friendly normal eyes are until they’re not normal anymore . . . :eek: ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/16 "2015-01-18T02:53:15Z")
:eek: Og, no; Hell no; F\*&^%, NO. Before you approach my eyes with piercing devices I want to see a board certification in Ophthalmological Surgery and a second opinion to the effect that \*not \*performing the procedure means certain blindness. > [@](#): > > Garth says the reaction to her eyes has been universally positive. Well, there ARE a lot of\* Dune\* fans among the general public. ---
**Author:** ![Mnemnosyne](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mnemnosyne/32/3347_2.png) [@Mnemnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnemnosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/17 "2015-01-18T04:03:52Z")
It’s unsafe and permanent; two things that would pretty much kill it for me. Beyond that, I doubt it would look all that good on me, personally. The girl with the blue in her eyes, however, looks pretty good that way (I think; it would be nice if there was a shot of her at a normal distance to see what the effect looks like with a normal facial expression), so if someone thinks they look good with it that way, great…except it still sounds damnably unsafe, so hopefully actual doctors are going to look into a safer method of doing this. It would be foolish to assume people aren’t going to keep doing it despite safety, so it would be best to make it as safe as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/18 "2015-01-18T04:20:39Z")
If they do it, they’d better either have a job they can’t lose or open their own place first, because nobody will ever hire them to do anything meaningful. Oh, someone might hire them to flip burgers, and I’m sure that there will be any number of people here that will tell me that they’d love to hire someone like that and pay them a mint to scare their customers, but in the real world an eyeball tattoo means lifetime unemployment/underemployment. Jobs are hard enough to come by, and there are any number of normal, rational non-freakshow human beings out there to hire even for the most menial of jobs. None of that even touches on the potential health implications of it, and really, that’s none of my business. If they want to gouge out their own eyeballs and eat them that’s their problem. But a having to look at a tattoo, especially a blackout let’s-intimidate-everybody tattoo, is my problem. So, not only no, but HELL FUCKING NO. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/19 "2015-01-18T04:54:41Z")
No, this is an incredibly bad idea and the fact that this lady experimented on volunteers with out knowing shit about the eyeball, is beyond the pale insane. And who the hell were these volunteers anyway? Good lord, the stupid must ooze from the pores of their skin. All that said, blue eyed girl’s eyes were pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030/20 "2015-01-18T05:03:03Z")
Now my eyeballs hurt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeball-tattoos-yay-or-nay/710030.md?page=2)