Former Model Considers Having Her Eye Removed After Botched Eyeball Tattoo

Former Model Considers Having Her Eye Removed After Botched Eyeball Tattoo
(Photo illustration by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Colin Fredericson
12/1/2017
Updated:
12/1/2017

A former model with a botched eyeball tattoo is considering having her eyeball removed.

Catt Gallinger, a former model based in Ottawa, Canada, regrets ever going through with the procedure that left her suffering and questioning whether or not she would retain vision in her right eye. It has gotten to the point that she is willing to sacrifice the eye if it will give her some relief, Global News reported.

But whatever procedure she uses to rectify her eye troubles, she has to think fast. She has a limited amount of time before the ink dries, and at that point, her only option will be to have the eyeball removed.

“There have been points where I’ve definitely said if it came down to me having to live like that for the rest of my life, I’d rather get it taken out,” said Gallinger, in reference to the suffering she has experienced after the eyeball tattoo procedure.

Her Instagram account, which used to be mostly photos of Gallinger showing off her tattoos, hairstyles, and fashions, are now mostly pictures and videos of Gallinger in pain, talking about her how she will move forward.

At this point, she is waiting to get the flap of skin over her eye filled with ink, removed in a sedated procedure. She earlier had scheduled an unsedated procedure, but canceled due to her mental health, according to Global News.

The situation started when Gallinger let her then-boyfriend, Eric Brown, perform the eyeball tattoo. Brown performed the tattoo procedure on the night of Sept. 5 at a tattoo parlor that was closed for the night, according to CBC.

“My procedure was clean, only two mere injections, with an ink that has been tested, that we know is safe to use in eyes,” said Brown to CBC News. “I told [Gallinger] the risks or what kind of swelling she could expect and she went through with it anyway.”

But Gallinger did her own research afterward and thinks that the needle Brown used was too big, the ink he used was not diluted properly, and the needle went in too deep.

The Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (EPSO) is petitioning to make the procedure illegal, using Gallinger. The state of Georgia is the only place where the procedure is currently banned,  according to the Global News report.

“The risky act of tattooing an eye is being performed by untrained individuals who have no knowledge of the eye’s delicate anatomy,” Marcia Kim, director of the EPSO, told Global News.

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Colin is a New York-based reporter. He covers Entertainment, U.S., and international news. Besides writing for online news outlets he has worked in online marketing and advertising, done voiceover work, and has a background in sound engineering and filmmaking. His foreign language skills include Spanish and Chinese.