I'm trying to make a design where the user can run his/her finger directly over a series of 10 LEDs (covered with 1 mm glass), and the LEDs should glow on/off based on the finger's position.

I wish to use capacitive touch (like on a phone, where the touchscreen is directly above the LCD) to accomplish sensing of the user's finger.

I am familiar with making copper pads on a standard PCB to make a capacitive touch sensor, but if this opaque PCB goes on top of the LEDs, then their light would be obscured.

Is there some alternative strategy I can try in order to let the LED light come through and still allow capacitive touch sensing of the user's finger directly above the LEDs?

**EDIT**: Perhaps below design should work? (incorporating reverse-mount LED suggestion of user @Some Hardware Guy)

Green = PCB; Brown = Copper pads (for capacitive-sense), and Yellow = Reverse-mounted LEDs

![pcb](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1c0BZ.jpg)