Dog attack victim back in SWFL to see eye specialist

Published:

NAPLES, Fla.- The little girl who captured hearts across America is back in Southwest Florida.

Four-year-old Mississippi girl, Victoria Wilcher, was attacked by a dog in 2014. A Naples eye specialist stepped up to give Wilcher a new eye, for free. Tuesday, Wilcher was back at his office.

Wilcher has the face of angel, but her scars tell the story of a traumatic, life-changing event.

“She cries in the back, but then she comes out, hugging the people who had to work with her,” said Wilcher’s social worker, Janet Kellam.

After the attack, eye specialist Raymond Peters, gave the little girl a new eye for free. She returned to Southwest Florida for a checkup, after problems with her latest surgery in Mississippi.

“She’s so sensitive from that surgery, she would have a tendency to bleed and we don’t want that,” said Peters.

During the surgery, Wilcher’s eye socket collapsed a bit, and right now there is no room to fit a prosthetic eye.

“I was slightly disappointed.”

WINK News cameras were not allowed behind closed doors. We could hear her crying during the exam.

“It sorta makes you feel kind of bad, but I don’t feel that bad, because I know this child is going to be taken care of, I’ll take care of her. I will make sure she has a prosthesis and she looks normal in time,” Peters told WINK News.

Wilcher and her family gained national attention for falsely claiming the girl was asked to leave a restaurant because her face was scaring customers.

Because she is still growing, Wilcher will need to get a new eye every six months. However, because of recent complications, she will not be able to get one this trip, but will hopefully be healed and fitted for another eye next time she visits.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.