Tattoo ink linked to blindness: 40 Australians diagnosed with rare condition

Forty people in Australia have been diagnosed with a rare sight-threatening condition connected to tattoos that can lead to permanent blindness, representing a significant surge in cases of the little-known ailment, PEOPLE reports.

The condition, called tattoo-associated uveitis, results from a presumed immune reaction to tattoo ink. The 40 cases identified in Australia represent double the number of cases recorded globally in 2010, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Nelize Pretorius experienced the alarming symptoms firsthand when her vision became blurry, first in one eye and then the other. She initially suspected conjunctivitis, but tests were negative as her sight worsened.

“I could hardly see. I was losing my vision and nobody was able to tell me why,” Pretorius told ABC.

After eventually being diagnosed with tattoo-associated uveitis, Pretorius learned about risks she never considered when getting inked.

“You get a tattoo, and you think the risk is that you might regret it later in life,” she told ABC. “[The real risk is] you could potentially lose your vision.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, uveitis is a form of eye inflammation with symptoms that can include pain, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and permanent vision loss.

Research published in the Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology journal pointed to black ink as the cause of most inflammation, with one case each linked to pink and red ink.

Ophthalmologist Josephine Richards, who treated Pretorius, said the cause is not fully understood.

“We do not know why the eye gets caught in the crossfire,” Richards told ABC. “There is something about the immune reaction that targets the eye.”

Pretorius received expensive treatment and continues to manage the condition with steroid eye drops. Other patients have required immunosuppression to treat their vision, according to ABC.

Pretorius credited her diagnosis to being in the right place at the right time.

“My case in particular was one of the first cases that Dr. Richards had in Perth,” she said. “It’s just lucky that she knew about it because if she wasn’t there on that day, I may still not know what the issue is.”

Despite her ordeal, Pretorius acknowledged her outcome was fortunate.

“There’s a few people [with tattoo-associated uveitis] that lost their vision permanently, so relatively speaking I came off pretty good,” she said.