NATCHEZ &8212; His eyes sparkle and his dimpled smile steals your heart. But there is more to Mac Lindsey than meets the eye.

Smart? He continues to excel at his studies &8212; only an occasional B, he said. Last year, he was the overall best reader in his school.

And this year, a fifth-grader at Adams County Christian School, he won the state spelling bee sponsored by the Mississippi Private School Education Association.

&8220;He&8217;s an exceptional little fellow,&8221; said his father, Terry Lindsey, who recalled how his classmates as early as in kindergarten would call on Mac to help them read signs on field trips.

&8220;He read at a very early age,&8221; said his mother, Angel Lindsey. &8220;He was always very smart.&8221;

The Lindseys have reason to boast about their son. When he was only a few months old, they learned that he had been born with an eye condition that could threaten his vision for life.

At the family home in Vidalia, the Lindseys, including Mac&8217;s sister, Rachel, 16, recalled those agonizing weeks and decisions that stretched their faith to the limits.

Angel, a registered nurse in the birthing center at Natchez Regional Medical Center, said she noticed something different about her son&8217;s eyes when he was an infant.

Other nurses laughed at her. &8220;You know how nurses are &8212; our children have brain tumors, not headaches,&8221; she said with a laugh.

Her concern was serious. &8220;I kept telling my husband that he had something in his eyes. I took him to the doctor and it took less than two minutes for him to make the diagnosis.&8221;

Mac had congenital cataracts. &8220;We&8217;d never heard of that before,&8221; Angel said.

The Natchez ophthalmologist sent Mac to a specialist in Jackson, Dr. John Milam. Terry recalled watching as the doctor projected the 4-month-old baby boy&8217;s eye on the screen. &8220;His whole little pupil was covered,&8221; Terry said.

Congenital cataracts, seen in infants and young children, are like cataracts in older patients &8212; a cloudiness of the natural lens of the eye.

Mac&8217;s first surgery was at 7 months. The decision to have the surgery was not easy.

&8220;The doctor told us he could be legally blind &8212; never drive, never see the biggest letters on the eye chart &8212; or he could have the surgery and spend a lot of his childhood in the doctor&8217;s office,&8221; Angel said.

The second surgery was at 8 months. With that, both lenses had been removed and replaced with contact lenses.

The family noticed an immediate change after the surgery. &8220;He had always stayed in one place, right there in front of the fireplace, just playing,&8221; Angel said. &8220;That first day, I put him in that spot and went to the kitchen for a minute and heard Terry call.&8221;

When she returned to the living room, Mac was crawling up the stairs to the second floor. &8220;Then he was just everywhere,&8221; Angel said.

The doctor had told them that many children with congenital cataracts had learning or developmental abilities &8212; about one in five. No one knew why.

&8220;Dr. Milam thinks Mac is a miracle. He says children usually don&8217;t do as well as Mac is doing,&8221; Angel said.

With his contacts or glasses, he has 20-20 vision. When he is a young adult, he will have surgery to replace lenses in both eyes.

Mac said winning the state spelling bee title was something he vowed to do last year, when he placed third in the state contest. He prepared.

As much as he likes reading and spelling, he likes math better, Mac said. And he is mechanical-minded, his parents said. &8220;Electronics? He can do anything,&8221; Angel said.

They are in awe of their son, she said. &8220;We wonder where it comes from.&8221;

He loves sports, but he is allowed to play only basketball. Any blow to the head could cause retina detachment.

Friends and even people they don&8217;t know helped them, Terry said. &8220;I want people to know that their prayers got us through this.&8221;

Today, they pay close attention to eyes. &8220;Eyes mean a lot to us,&8221; Terry said. &8220;We talk to parents when we see children wearing glasses.&8221;

The Lindseys found a family whose child with congenital cataracts now is grown and is doing well. &8220;She sent me pictures,&8221; Angel said.

The trip to the Jackson doctor was weekly for a while. &8220;Now it&8217;s every four months,&8221; Angel said. &8220;Dr. Milam calls him &8216;Big Ace.&8217;&8221;