MANY of us would blink in disbelief when we learnt that our eyes can be cleaned using ink, a bamboo stick, herbs and cotton.
We may even conjure images of a complicated process when our eyes are being cleaned.
However, Ooi Poh Mei, 35, who has been in the eye-cleaning business for almost two decades, begs to differ.
All the client needs to do, she said, is to relax for her to remove the dirt from the person’s eyes.
A fourth generation of the Hwang I Care eye-cleaning business, Poh Mei said she started to learn eye-cleaning skills from her grandfather when she was 16 years old.
Hwang I Care was recently among several establishments that were awarded the Penang Centennial Heritage Excellence Award by the state government.
It was Poh Mei’s great-grandfather, who started the business over 100 years ago. He came from Fujian, China.
“I believe that we are the only such outlet offering eye cleaning service in the country to date.
“During my younger days, I decided to learn the skills from my grandfather (Ooi Ah Joo) during the year-end school holidays.
“Many people from all sectors have walked into our outlet to have their eyes cleaned. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for me to do it.
“Some of my regular customers have been here for the past few decades,” she told Buletin Mutiara in an interview session at her shop in Carnavon Street recently.
Prior to this, Poh Mei ran her business at a shop in Soo Hong Lane, George Town, for about four years before moving to Carnarvon Street.
Her grandfather, however, first conducted his business at their old house in Jelutong.
Poh Mei said she always perform her task confidently and carefully.
“The cleaning procedure is simple. I will put a warm towel over the eyes for the person to relax before proceeding.
“I have removed about an 8-centimeter-long hair from one of my clients’ eyes,” she said.
Once the cleaning is done, Poh Mei said her clients would be able to walk out with their eyes feeling refreshed and bright.
“Many of my customers come as far as Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Singapore,” she said.
Poh Mei charges RM30 per person for her eye-cleaning service. Walk-in customers are welcome.
She can be reached at 016-4231980 or 016-4702062 for details. Her shop opens from 12pm to 6.30pm (Monday to Saturday) while appointments can only be made during public holidays and on Sundays.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting