Botched Eye Tattoo Procedure Leaves Model Blind in One Eye

Canadian model Catt Gallinger said she regrets trying to tattoo the whites of her eyes after a botched injection that could potentially leave her blind in one eye.

A month ago, Gallinger had a procedure called a sclera tattoo, which involves injecting liquids or ink into a person's eye to stain the area around the cornea. Gallinger told The Sun that one of her eyes was oozing purple liquid after getting the tattoo, but she received medication and thought the reaction was normal. She soon went to the hospital after she experienced swelling and blurred vision, where the medical staff concluded that the ink, the needle, and procedure itself had torn her sclera. Even after doctors gave her steroids and other medications for several weeks, they concluded that her eyesight wouldn't heal and could even grow to complete blindness in that eye if she didn't have surgery.

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Gallinger said she regrets the tattoo, and she noted that people should think twice before going under the needle. "Just please be cautious who you get your [body modifications] from and do your research," she wrote in a Facebook post about her medical problems. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else."

She also gave more detail to the press. "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," she told The Sun.

The model also posted images of her eye on Facebook, but viewer discretion is definitely advised.

Gallinger also gave an update on her health soon after, saying that she was still shaken by the experience and thanking people who'd offered her kind words and advice. "I will never get my eyeball done. Ever. Ever," she said. "I will leave it. To me, it's not worth the risk from someone trained let alone from someone not trained to go anywhere near it again. I had to learn that the hard way, and to be honest, I'll never recommend it."

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