Fish 'bullied' by tank mates gets prosthetic eye

A one-eyed fish named Kiwi is getting a second chance at life thanks to a new prosthetic eye.

The seven-year-old saltwater fish began developing a cataract and with that came bullying from his tank mates, according to his owner Julie Morgan.

"They figured out which eye was not working," Morgan told KTRK. "They'd go up behind him, biting his tail. He had chunks of his tail taken out."

​Kiwi's cataract and eye was removed by his veterinarian Dr. Megan Baebler which left his eye socket open.

Dr. Baebler came up with the idea of giving Kiwi a prosthetic eye to keep him from being bullied.

"I actually hand-painted the eye myself," she said. "I used a mixture of some nail polish and some eye shadow pigments, actually, to give it some iridescence."

To insert the new prosthetic eye, Dr. Baebler placed Kiwi under general anesthesia and performed a 30-minute surgery to insert the eye.

"It's going to be the best chance for him to lead a normal life in his tank," Baebler said.

Now that the surgery is over, Morgan hopes to reunite Kiwi with his tank mates. He currently is living in his own holding tank.

"I think he's doing great," Morgan said. "He's eating, he's swimming. He's happy."

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