A British man who spent more than $50,000 covering nearly every inch of his skin with tattoos opened up about what it felt like to take body modification to one of the most extreme places imaginable: his eyes.
He revealed what happened when he had ink injected directly into his eyeballs, describing the process in detail. Needless to say, numerous netizens were shocked.
Highlights
- A tattoo enthusiast spent over $50,000 and 1,600 hours covering nearly his entire body in ink.
- During an interview, he described what it felt like to have his eyeballs tattooed.
- Specialists warned that the procedure is extremely dangerous and can lead to permanent damage.
This is what happens when tattoos become a man’s hobby, and that hobby goes way too far
Image credits: ITV | This Morning
Originally named Mathew Whelan, the man became so completely engrossed by his tattoos that he ultimately changed his legal name to “King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite.”
In day-to-day life, however, he explained that he preferred the shortened name "Body Art," as it was far easier for everyone around him to use, according to the Daily Mail.
Image credits: IZATRINI (Not the actual photo)
By the time he shared his story with ITV, he had spent more than £40,000 ($52,000) and 1,600 hours under the needle. At one point, he claimed that 32 different artists worked on him simultaneously.
Virtually every part of his skin, from his face to his torso, arms, and legs, had been covered in ink, leaving only tiny untouched areas around his eyes, lips, and ears.
Image credits: ITV | This Morning
Body Art then decided to get his eyeballs tattooed as well, a risky procedure since the eyes are very sensitive.
Body Art explained how ink was injected directly into his eyeballs
Image credits: ITV | This Morning
While the idea of a needle coming anywhere near the surface of the eye is quite uncomfortable, Body Art noted that the process was actually quite simple.
“It's with a syringe, and they pierce the muscle tissue in the eyeball,” he told the show’s hosts.
Instead of tattooing the exterior surface with a machine, the ink was manually injected so that it spread across his sclera, the white layer of his eyeball. The goal was to darken the area around his iris and pupil, giving his eyes a deep, inky appearance.
The tattoo enthusiast insisted that the process actually did not hurt, though it was very risky.
“Your optical nerve is not in the eyeball, so it's not painful, just dangerous,” he explained.
He stated that no anesthetic was used during his eyes' inking procedure, so he had to stay very still. “You've got to be a statue or a gargoyle and not twitch, because it can be different, between losing your sight,” he said.
Image credits: ITV | This Morning
Netizens responded strongly to Body Art’s appearance, with many criticizing the sheer volume of his tattoos. “He looks like a melted pack of crayons… but each to their own,” one commenter wrote.
Body Art explained that his fascination with tattoos didn’t begin with adulthood
Body Art stated that he has always been drawn to tattoos, even as a child.
“I knew in my head at the age of nine I wanted artwork on my body, probably not to the extent that I'm covered,” he said.
Image credits: @king_body_art
He revealed that he went on to get his first tattoo at 16, two years before it was legally allowed where he lived.
Looking back on the thousands of hours he had spent being tattooed since, he simply said, “I’m still the same person, just older, and more colorful.”
As for why he was inspired to ink his actual eyeballs, Body Art explained that it was a nod to his favorite animals, which have similar eyes.
“One of my favorite animals is an orangutan, and if you know monkeys and orangutans, their eyes are black,” he said. “It's become a lifestyle for me, not an addiction.”
Image credits: @king_body_art
In contrast to Body Art’s simple explanations, medical experts continued to urge the public to avoid eyeball tattoos completely, according to Unilad.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists called the practice “an extremely dangerous, irreversible procedure that can lead to blindness.”
Image credits: @king_body_art
They noted that complications may include severe light sensitivity, unexpected reactions, retinal detachment, and even vision loss.
Netizens shared their thoughts on Body Art’s eyeball tattoos on social media
