Tattooist Luna Cobra welcomes legalisation of controversial eye inking procedure despite ban calls

PEOPLE are getting hurt and even going blind, but it’s not enough to deter the “super-extreme”.

IT SOUNDS like the really gross scene in a horror movie.

The lead character is lying down, desperately trying not to move, as a rubber-gloved hand clutches a needle just inches from his eyeball.

The needle moves in closer, the metal edge catching the light, so close the man can no longer focus on it properly — it’s just a blur of steel. Then the sharp edge pushes against the cornea and pierces the delicate membrane. Continuing to the white of the eye, the needle squirts a liquid that can never be removed.

Not your cup of tea? Well, actually, it’s the process of eye tattooing — the practice of injecting indelible ink into the eyeball to permanently colour its surface. And the NSW Government has just regulated it bringing something only a handful of Australians have tried out into the open.

Labor Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord denounced the decision, calling it “ridiculous” and said “instead of regulating eye tattooing, they should be banning it”.

But a leading proponent of the craft has told news.com.au that eye tattooing was not a danger to the public, and cigarettes, sugar consumption and even “extra-large Slushies” were far worse for people.

Kylie Garth’s eyes are now a fetching shade of pale blue after her eye inking procedure. Source: Luna Cobra

‘IT’S LIKE SKYDIVING OR BUNGEE JUMPING’

Admittedly, it’s a niche market. By some estimates only 20 Australians have undergone eye tattoo procedures.

One is Ox Brady, from the Sunshine Coast, who had his eyes dyed black five years ago. While it was no easy decision he loved the look so much, he’d do it all over again if he could.

“It was the weirdest, most bizarre, sensation I’ve ever felt but in a good way. It wasn’t painful but I’ve got a good pain threshold,” he told news.com.au.

Inking his eyes was safer than wearing oversized contact lenses, the only kind that would achieve the same effect he said, as he was concerned they could scratch the penetrative film on his sclera, or the whites of the eye.

However, the reaction from passers-by can be extreme.

“Some people get too scared to think, they don’t know what it is but others are all good. Once you get to know me I’m just a normal person,” said Mr Brady, who also sports top-to-toe body tattoos as well as silicone implants and magnets under his skin.

What about children? Do they freak out when they see a man with black spheres for eyes? “People think kids are going to be scared but, strangely enough, a lot come up to me and think it’s awesome.”

Kylie Garth from Western Australia also said the procedure, to add a pale blue hue to her eyeballs, was painless. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t terrifying.

“There’s always that little element of fear so I was a bit scared,” she said of the day she had her eyeball tattoo done. “I knew that it wasn’t painful but still, when you’re lying in a chair and there’s a needle coming for your eye there’s always going to be that moment where you’re like ‘f***’.

“It’s the strangest thing, I felt some pressure, like a little bit of sand in my eye and then it was done. I stood up and burst into tears afterwards because it was mentally so intense. It’s like skydiving or bungee jumping — you know it’s safe but still actually doing it is crazy. It was scarier than skydiving actually — I would go skydiving again before I had my eye done.”

Luna Cobra, who is a body modification expert based in Melbourne and the US, said he has inked 10 Australian eyes.

“The lids are held open gently, otherwise you bruise it,” he explained to ABC’s 7.30. “Then it’s just kind of hand done. It’s like a hand poking procedure where you go in that certain layer. You don’t have actual nerve endings in your eyeball itself, so [like] if you put in contacts or something it just feels weird.”

Apparently, it feels like a little bit of sand is in your eye. Source: Luna Cobra Instagram

‘IT IS BECOMING A TREND’

Mr Cobra, who is credited with inventing the procedure, said he goes nowhere near the iris with the liquid only delivered to the sclera. The lens remains clear and so sight is not impaired. The results are completely irreversible.

“I think it’s just becoming a trend among people that just want to be super-extreme. But the worry is that they are just getting anyone to do it — or doing it themselves — and a lot of people have been hurt, gone blind or lost eyes from this — although I want to stress that hasn’t happened to any of my clients,” he said.

“But if some guy is sitting in his bathroom with boiled-down pen ink then he’s probably going to f*** himself up.”

A popular, and somewhat menacing, option is to turn your eyes jet black.

It certainly worked for Jason Barnum, who in 2012 faced an Alaskan court with half of his face tattooed, including a skull inked onto his head and an entirely black eyeball.

Ted Richards from Bristol, UK, has had multiple body modifications including eye tattooing.

‘A MAJOR STUFF UP’

The NSW Government on Friday amended the Public Health Act 2010 to include eye tattooing as a “skin penetration procedure” along with tongue piercing.

Labor’s Mr Secord told news.com.au it was “a major stuff up” and placing a needle in the eye could lead to blindness and even cancer.

“The last thing you should be doing is puncturing your eye. It’s absolutely ridiculous and instead of regulating and legislating you should be banning it.

“Doctors have advised they are very reluctant to undertake any procedure involving eyes and the Baird Government should be not regulating this area.”

Mr Secord said he suspected the Government had signed off on a, “whole bunch of regulations and didn’t read them”.

Asked why individuals shouldn’t be given the freedom to modify their own bodies, however distasteful it may be to others, he said, “we have rules for all kind of things in our society to protect people, like wearing helmets, and this is just something we don’t need”.

But Mr Cobra said the claims were nonsense.

“Any reports of a link between cancer and eyeball tattoos is only speculation and this has never been reported since I started this in 2007,” he said.

The shadow Health Minister just wanted to “kick up a fuss at any local pop culture”, said Mr Cobra, and had “no real concern” for the health of Australians.

“There is a much bigger effect on the health and hospital system due to cigarettes, sugar and fat consumption,” he told news.com.au. “Why can we buy an extra large Slushi at a 7-Eleven? That is crazy bad for you.”

Tattooist Luna Cobra (left) has dismissed health concerns around eye tattooing. Source: Luna Cobra/Instagram.

BAN THE PRACTICE

Health Minister Jillian Skinner said eye tattooing hadn’t been illegal but there had been no regulatory framework applied as it wasn’t defined in the Act despite the risk of bloodborne viruses.

“I have asked the NSW Ministry of Health to continue to investigate the risks associated with eyeball tattooing.

“If this advice finds eyeball tattooing poses unacceptable risks, I will consider further measures to ensure individuals are protected from such risks.”