can an optical mouse go bad?

[Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This afternoon my optical mouse has been stopping and not moving.  The 
light seems dim.  Then, after a while it starts up again. 

Any ideas? 

I had the idea that these mice don't fail, so I am hesitant to drive a 
lot of miles to buy another one, only to have no change in behavior, and 
then discover later that the whole problem was a "W" caught in a sharp 
corner inside the wire.