Elise got her second prosthetic eye fitted in October 2020 as she grew out of her first one. Photo Credit: Jamie Jhang

When Elise Jhang was one year old, she lost her right eye to retinoblastoma, an eye cancer that affects young children more commonly. This, however, didn’t stop her from developing a love for sports like soccer and swimming. 

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Elise never missed the weekly soccer clinic organised by Alexandra Football Academy. Video Credit: Jamie Jhang

Her mother, Mrs Jamie Jhang, 32, said that Elise is very sporty and energetic. “There is nothing much that differentiates her from her peers.”

Elise’s condition does not hinder her from achieving success in the sports field. Photo Credit: Jamie Jhang

To protect Elise from curious stares, Mr and Mrs Jhang got their daughter a prosthetic eye in April 2017 to replace the conformer that she had been using since her operation. A conformer is an acrylic artificial eye that supports and holds the shape of the eye socket. 

A prosthetic eye (Left) is sculpted to fit the eye socket whereas a conformer (Right) is dented and hollow on the inside, which reduces the support against the eyelids. Photo Credit: Jamie Jhang
Prosthetic eyes are customised and hand-painted to look more realistic. Photo Credit: Jamie Jhang

Mrs Jhang said Elise is happy with her “magic eye” on most days. But at times, the little girl would still ask why she’s the only one among her friends with only one eye. 

In response, Mrs Jhang would tell her that she’s very lucky to be able to see the world and go out to meet her friends. There are children who can’t do so. 

Find out more about their journey as the mother-daughter pair speaks to us in this video. 

Edited By: Adiel Rusyaidi Ruslani and Charlotte Chang

Proofread By: Teo Yin Yan and Kuan Qin Yi Tricia