Does corneal tattooing affect the conjunctival microbiota?

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of commercial tattoo inks used in corneal tattooing on conjunctival microbiota.

Method: This prospective case control study consisted of 125 participants divided in the following three groups: 35 patients with corneal tattoos, 40 patients with corneal leukoma, and 50 healthy subjects. Corneal tattooing was performed in all the cases in this study using a tattoo pen machine and commercial tattoo ink.