An Australian woman has woken up in horror at feeling a mouse trying to nibble on her eyeball.
The farmer's wife was hospitalised after the event in rural New South Wales and she is one of many victims of the mice plague that is continuing to sweep across the region.
The Times spoke to people living in rural and regional areas affected plague and they have revealed similarly horrifying stories and close encounters.
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Narromine farmer Mick Harris told the British newspaper about one particularly hair-raising night when he 'felt a tickly, furry sensation as it crawled from behind' his ear across to his cheek.
"For the rest of the night I didn't sleep a wink - until I caught the mouse in a trap under the bed," he said.
"We've got two young kids. It does make you worry that when they wake up crying it's because they have a mouse in their bed."
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Not even hospitals are safe as patients have reported being bitten by mice while they were being treated. NSW Health confirmed three patients at hospitals in Tottenham, Walgett and Gulargambone all suffered injuries as a result of mice attacks.
But it's not just personal injuries that people have been experiencing.
Mandagery mum-of-three Shirilee Jackson told A Current Affair about the stunning damage mice managed to do to her car while she was asleep.
"It's just unreal, in a matter of 10 hours," she said. "I've woken up at five o'clock in the morning to find the seatbelts chewed, the heater unit, flooring, head rest, and child's car seat chewed."
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They managed to destroy crops, sheds and even homes by chewing on electrical cables and shorting the system. It's estimated they've caused more than $1 billion in damages so far.
Norman Moeris, a farmer in the central west, told the ABC how this will cause untold issues for the landowners who are trying to plan their winter crop.
"[The mice] have done a hell of a lot of damage to hay that people were storing for the next drought...silo bags," he said. "They are just demolishing them. It's just like a wave of plague locusts on the ground. That's how bad they are."
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More than 400 prisoners and 200 staff have also been evacuated from the Wellington Correctional Centre as a result of the mice infiltrating the facility.
The New South Wales government has already unveiled a $50 million support package for rural people affected by the mouse plague.
Free baiting, through free-of-charge grain treatment, has been made available to primary producers. People in rural and town households, as well as small businesses, will also be eligible to apply for rebates to help them meet the cost of purchasing mouse baits.
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The rodent invasion has been affecting farmers from southern Queensland, through NSW and into northern Victoria.
The summer rains that helped alleviate drought conditions for farmers has also helped the mice population boom. A female mouse can be pregnant at just six weeks old and can give birth to up to 10 mice every 20 days.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Australia