My hyper-realistic prosthetic eye is shocking — but I’m learning to love it
He’s got perspective.
A man has gone viral on TikTok after showing off his hyper-realistic prosthetic eye — although viewers may be even more “shaken” by what’s revealed behind it.
Amit Ghose, 33, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), when he was two years old. The condition causes tumors, which grew on the left side of Ghose’s face and one eye — leading to its removal when he was 11.
“In the past, I have been very sad about my condition — at times I felt extremely low and depressed,” Ghose, who works at a law firm as a relationship executive, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I would be jealous of others,” he admitted. “I would look at their ‘normal’, symmetrical face and feel as if I was ugly.”
Ghose started posting his day-to-day experiences with facial disfiguration on TikTok, which quickly gained traction and now receives millions of views.
In a recent clip, which received over 4.5 million views, Ghose showed users how his eye can be taken off and re-attached.
In the clip, he removes the prosthetic eye — which resembles a patch, covering the entire eye socket — to reveal the magnets underneath which are used to keep it attached.
Ghose’s followers on social media asked him if it “hurt” to remove and replace the prosthetic — but no physical discomfort could compare to the hurtful comments he hears from people about it, he said.
“Some people will say, ‘Oh my God… what happened to your face?” he revealed. “Young children will often get scared and cry [and] young adults [and] teenagers will mock me saying, ‘Did you get run over by a train?.'”
“Sometimes I’ll leave it off when I’m home and the doorbell will ring, and I will go to open the door, forgetting that I’m not wearing my eye,” he explained.
“And if it’s a postman or if it’s somebody doing a delivery they usually get really, really shaken,” Ghose admitted. “I’ll say, ‘Oh I’m so sorry’, and even though I celebrate my condition, I understand how this can be a bit shaking for people.”
Despite those in his life who told him he could never find love, Ghose married his wife, Piyali, a year ago after being introduced to her by a family friend in May 2021.
“I worried that people judged me for my appearance, rather than judging me as a person,” Ghose told SWNS. “But from the moment I said hello to Piyali and introduced myself, we clicked.”
Ghose said he plans to continue making videos about his experience, hoping to help and inspire people,
“I want to educate people about the challenges and eventually normalize visible differences,” he explained, adding “overtime” he’s come to terms with his condition.
“I can’t change how I look,” he quipped. “But can change my mindset.”
