An eye for business

Prostheses made by talented ocularist aim to provide a comfortable solution for people with monocular issues, Li Yingxue reports.

The room was dark. As Liu Siyao waved her finger in front of her right eye, her pupil instantly lit up with a beam of blue light.

The effect, akin to something from a sci-fi movie, appears in a video made by Liu, which quickly gained popularity after she posted it online. The 27-year-old ocularist made the cyberpunk accessory herself by implanting a small chip into her own prosthetic eye and holding a magnetic switch in her hand.

Liu, who goes by the handle Xintong on social media, has been busy since her ocular prosthesis studio opened last year in Beijing, with constant orders coming in from people across the country with monocular visual impairment.