Mina and Her New Eye

Mina was a happy, kind little mouse.

One day Grandpa Mouse took a family picture. Mina looked different from the other little mice. One of her eyes had a strange glow.

“I wonder what makes Mina’s eye glow like that,” Grandpa asked himself. He thought, “I better tell her mom!”

Mama Mouse took Mina to an eye doctor for a checkup right away.

Dr. Badger shined a bright light in Mina’s eye. He needed to see all the way to the back of her eye.

The light was so bright that it made Mina wiggle.

“Dr. Badger,” Mina asked, “Do you have an easier test for my eye?”

Dr. Badger smiled and said he did have a more comfortable test.

It turns out that the best way to see to the back of a little mouse’s eye is while she is asleep.

Dr. Badger’s team used medicine to make Mina sleep so he could get a good look behind her eye.

Doctors often work with a whole team to help their patients!

Did you know? Anesthesia is a medicine that helps you take a nice nap.

An anesthesiologist is a doctor who gives those sleepy medications.

When we get tests with medicine that makes us sleepy, it is called an exam under anesthesia.

When the test was over, Dr. Badger told Mina’s parents about what he found.

Dr. Badger said, “I saw a little bump in Mina’s eye. The bump is making her eye very sick. But we can help her.”

Doctors also call bumps “tumors.”

Dr. Badger said he fixes some tumors with lights. He fixes other tumors with medicine. And still other tumors will need surgery.

Doctors can do surgery when parts of the body need extra help to get better.

Dr. Badger thought Mina’s tumor might need surgery.

Luckily, he knew just who to call— his friend, Dr. Bunnywhite.

Dr. Bunnywhite also looks deep into Mina’s sick eye. She tells Mina that sometimes the sick eyeball needs to be removed so little mice can get better.

“You are going to need surgery, Mina,” said Dr. Bunnywhite. “How do you feel about this surgery, Mina?”

“I’m a little nervous,” said Mina.

“Don’t worry! We will take good care of you,” said Dr. Bunnywhite.

What about you? How do you feel about your surgery?

Mina feels safe because she knows she has a great team helping her.

When Dr. Bunnywhite does Mina’s surgery, the anesthesiologist gives her medicine for surgery again, just like in her exam with Dr. Badger.

While Mina is sound asleep, Dr. Bunnywhite replaces Mina’s sick eyeball with a ball the same size as her normal eyeball.

This little ball is called an “implant.”

The doctors place a safe covering under Mina’s eyelid. They also place a patch over her eye. Mina only has to wear the patch for a little while.

After six weeks, Mina’s doctors remove the eye cover for Mina to get ready for her new eye.

It’s time for Mina to get her new eye! Mina’s parents take her to visit Mr. Hedge.

“Hi Mina! I’m an ocularist. That means I make handmade eyes called prosthetic eyes. I’m glad I get to help you!”

Mina smiles and shakes his hand.

Right away, Mr. Hedge takes pictures of Mina’s real eye.

“Mina,” he said, “I’m going to use these pictures to paint your prosthetic eye to match your real eye.”

Mr. Hedge works to make sure Mina’s new eye will be just right!

Sometimes, it takes a couple of visits to Mr. Hedge to get it just the way the patient would like.

When Mina’s new eye is finished, Mina and her parents go back to see Mr. Hedge. He tells them how to put her new eye in and how to take care of it.

Mina will go back to see Mr. Hedge in about six months to make sure her new eye still fits well. After that, she will go back to see Mr. Hedge every year as she grows bigger to make adjustments so that Mina’s eye will fit perfectly as she grows up.

Mina is a happy little mouse. Her favorite games are mouse-ball, hip-hop-play-scotch, and drawing beautiful pictures for her family and friends!

What about you? What do you want to do to be happy while you get ready for your new eye?

What do you want to do to be happy when you have your new eye?