Shivers posted the graphic snapshot on a social media site, where it has been viewed 192,000 times, the suit claims

Lawsuit claims a nurse photographed patient with pencils in her eyes and sent it to a third party, who then shared it with online user Joshua Shivers

to County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles in 2012 after she tried to end her life by gouging out her eyes

Graphic: A woman has filed a lawsuit claiming that a nurse took this photo, of her which has been pixelated, with pencils in her eyes following a failed suicide attempt

A woman who blinded herself by jabbing pencils in her eyes during a suicide attempt is suing Los Angeles County, claiming her photo was taken without her permission at a hospital and went viral online.

The suit was filed Monday by David Bliss, the guardian of the woman who survived her suicide attempt but lost her sight.

The plaintiff claims unauthorized disclosure of medical information, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, breach of duty and public disclosure of private facts.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in the suit, was admitted to County-USC Medical Center in 2012 after she tried to end her life at another medical facility.

The lawsuit says someone, believed to be a nurse, took an unauthorized photo of her with yellow pencils sticking out of her eyes and shared it with another person, who in turn sent it Joshua Shivers.

Shivers used his mother Linda's computer to post the image to a ‘shock’ website, the suit stated, adding that the photo has since been viewed more than 192,000 times. The specific website to which it was posted was not disclosed.

On the day the image was uploaded online, Shivers allegedly bragged about his handiwork writing: 'I finally made it in life. Please check out my shiz,' City News Service reported via Los Angeles Daily News.

Treatment: The patient, Jane Doe, was taken to County-USC Medical Center in 2012 after she tried to end her life

‘Everybody knows that as soon as someone gets their hands on something like this, it goes viral and the harm is done,’ said the plaintiff’s attorney, Douglas Johnson, who specializes in privacy cases.

Johnson said that before filing the lawsuit against the medical center and Los Angeles County officials who administer the hospital, he asked them to have the picture taken down from the Web by exercising a copyright they hold over photo, since it was taken in their facility.

County spokesman David Sommers said officials are investigating the allegations in the lawsuit, and he declined to comment further.

The lawsuit also names as defendants Joshua Shivers and his mother, Linda. They could not be reached for comment.

Mother-son duo: The lawsuit names Joshua Shivers (left), who allegedly used his mother Linda's (right) computer to upload the patient's photo, which he had received from a third party, onto a 'shock' website

The woman who blinded herself has since received psychiatric help, learned to read Braille and ‘gotten her life back on track’ by enrolling in college, but she has fallen into depression since the photo spread online, the lawsuit stated.