Weirdest Tattoos: Inking the Eye, Corneal Tattoos!

Tattoo enthusiasts who are always on the lookout for outlandish types of tattoo or those who are still searching for a tattoo design that can literally shock the world might want to consider Eye Tattoos. Please note that this doesn’t refer to the kind of skin tattoos inked around the eyes that were made famous by Mike Tyson. This refers to a somewhat risky tattooing method that creates a tattoo inside the eye! These tattoos are called Corneal Tattoos.

What is Corneal Tattooing?

Yes, this tattooing trend was first noticed among cellmates in prisons where tattoos among inmates are quite common. This kind of tattoo doesn’t create a tattoo design in the conventional mode, i.e. it only changes the color of the white part of the eye or the sclera to a certain extent. The result is visible in the form of the eye developing a rather unique shade in patches and sometimes the entire eye undergoes the color transformation. Such tattoos were first made public when a Canadian national underwent a first-of-its-kind eye tattooing in 2009. Here, instead of the needles delivering the ink, surgical injections are used.

Tattoo historians indicate that though this trend has been ‘discovered’ rather recently, it has been in existence for more than 2,000 years. It is believed to have originated during the latter half of the 19th century. It seems that this tattooing art was conceptualized from surgical treatment that was meant for patients suffering from eye (corneal) scarring. Yes, wearing colored contact lenses might seem like the easier way to change the color of your eyes but for the true tattoo enthusiast, tattooing the eye in its entirety has no replacement.