Warning: Graphic Content
Ever been to a barber who accidentally cut you a little while shaving? It happens. Skins aren’t blade-friendly. But no one minds a small scratch. Put some aftershave on it, ride out the 2-second sting pain and you’re good to go.
But imagine that very ustara being used to scrape your eyeballs!
Yes, it is actually an ancient craft and tradition in China. The purpose of it is to keep the eyes clean. People come to 62-year-old Xiong Gaowu to get their eyes cleaned by this very procedure.
The man sets shop in an alley in the Jinjiang District of Chengdu city and has been doing so for the past 40 years.
Clearly, he has practiced hands.
According to him, he has never injured any of his customers. The procedure is anything but simple, regardless of how easy he might make it appear.
Although it takes only 5 minutes, the blade is dipped in an iodine solution for sterilization, then eye drops are placed on the tip and then the weapon goes about its intricate work.
Both eyelids, one by one, are pulled back to reveal the eye ball which is then scraped and shaved. Won’t be surprised if that does scare you. To trust a person with a blade inside your eye, that’s something.
While the theory isn’t proven, customers have claimed to have clearer eyesight after the cleaning. Including a 97-year-old, who says that there were objects/particles stuck in his eyes pre-cleaning.
All of Xiong’s customers have to be above 30. He says that those younger than that generally have clean eyes, suggesting that our eyes probably collect dirt over time.
The man is clearly a master of the skill. Have a look:
And he’s much cheaper compared to the barbers you might go to. A hair wash and a shave (face and eyes both) costs all but around ₹37, if converted to our currency.
While most of us will stop at the hair wash and the face shave, how many of you have the balls eyeballs to get this done?