Frenchy Chiu is the Department Manager of Orthodontics at the Hong Kong Eye Hospital. She has been in the industry since 1987, serving for over 30 years. Frenchy secured the job after spotting a government advertisement for orthoptists in a newspaper. Applicants were required to take relevant courses and pursue further studies in the UK. "At that time, I didn’t even know what orthoptics was. The Internet was not very popular back then, so I went to the library to look it up in a dictionary. After learning about it, I was captivated by the work of orthoptists," Frenchy shared.

As the name suggests, an orthoptist helps patients correct visual problems, such as strabismus, amblyopia, and double vision. They serve patients ranging from newborns to centenarians.

Bethanie, a 13-year-old, used to suffer from intermittent exotropia. When looking at distant objects, one of her eyes would squint outward, causing her to lose her sense of three-dimensionality, which was problematic for Bethanie, who loves basketball. Her outward squint also made her appear unconfident.

Intermittent exotropia is not incurable and doesn't necessarily require surgery. Appropriate eye exercises can help resolve the issue. Frenchy tailored a series of eye exercises for Bethanie to strengthen her control over her exotropia. Thanks to Frenchy's role as Bethanie’s eye muscle “fitness coach” and Bethanie's own perseverance, she is now able to control her strabismus and rediscover the joy of basketball. Her eyes, once soulless, now sparkle with spirit.

Strabismus can rob a person of their sense of distance and disrupt their daily life.

Frenchy once treated a patient with nasopharyngeal cancer that had affected the sixth cranial nerve, causing the patient to become cross-eyed and esotropic. His squinting led to double vision, making everyday activities challenging. He could no longer play his beloved violin as the notes on the staff appeared as disordered "tadpoles." The prism correction technique used by Frenchy helped him see a single image instead of double, allowing him to regain normalcy in his life.

Frenchy recalled, "At that time, the patient's eyes seemed to light up again, shining brightly." She has never forgotten the gentleman's smile and continues to be motivated by moments like these.