State Considers Banning Eyeball Tattoos

Lawmakers in Washington state are mulling a potential ban on eyeball tattoos.

A House committee is considering a bill that would forbid tattoo artists from working on the sclera, TDN.com reports.

Rep. Steve Tharinger, sponsor of the bill, said the rare practice of tattooing the whites of the eyes is “odd, but … not a joke.”

“There is serious damage that can happen to people’s eyes,” he said, according to TDN.com.

The measure would carry a civil penalty of up to $10,000.

Indiana and Oklahoma already prohibit scleral tattoos, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The committee is set to vote on the measure on Feb. 22.

Read more at TDN.com