No, he’s not just really surprised…he can pop his eyes like this whenever he wants! 😲
It may look like Tio Chico has just seen a ghost, but actually, he has the world’s farthest eyeball pop.
From Brazil, his full name is Sidney de Carvalho Mesquita and his eyes can pop 18.2 mm (0.71 in) beyond his eye sockets. 👀
Tio Chico discovered his eye-popping ability when he was nine years old. While making silly faces in front of a mirror, he realized that he could extend his eyes quite far out of their sockets. 😜
His new talent made him very pop-ular when he showed his friends.
Tio Chico’s parents were concerned that he might have a disease, but luckily he was perfectly healthy.
He can only perform this trick because he was born with a rare condition, globe luxation, which is the medical term for an eyeball pop. Don't try this at home (or anywhere else!) as you could hurt yourself.
To measure an eyeball pop, an optometrist (a specialist eye doctor) uses a proptometer. 👀
"My skill is definitely a gift. It came from my father, my mother and the creator, too," Tio Chico said.
Tio Chico describes the feeling of popping of his eyeballs as similar to "letting go of some part of my body."
In the same way a camera can take a few seconds to focus, Tio Chico’s eyes take a few moments to re-focus when he pops them. During these few seconds, he can’t see a thing!
Tio Chico can pop his eyes for around 20-30 seconds at a time. It doesn’t hurt when he does it, but sometimes, when he pops his eyes for too long, he can feel a burning sensation because his eyes dry out. 😳
To help with this, Tio Chico uses eye drops to keep them lubricated. 💧
When he’s not performing eye pops, Tio Chico leads a very busy life. He works in the electronic industry and also owns a small hamburger company, ‘Tio Chico’s Burger’. He also likes to DJ and play the drums. 🍔🥁
He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Egly. Tio Chico kept his eye-pop ability a secret from his wife at first. In fact, he didn’t show her until they were engaged – she was very surprised!
Now, she is his number one fan. 😍
“He is lovely, kind, and has a good heart," Egly said.
When kids see Tio Chico’s amazing eye pop, they love it! 😄
However, older people can get scared when they see it. 😱
When Tio Chico found out his eye pop had been awarded a Guinness World Records title, he said he felt "pure excitement."
"Being a record holder is an amazing experience- out of this world- that now I really know what I am capable of!"
Speaking about his Guinness World Records title, Tio Chico said, "I have no words to describe so much happiness." 😃
"A dream come true means opening doors for my work to be even more recognized, and I hope to make the most of this great opportunity as part of the Guinness World Records family."
The record for the farthest eyeball pop (female) belongs to Kim Goodman (USA), who has regularly featured in our book for many years. Her eyes can pop 12 mm (0.47 in) beyond her sockets. 👀
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