An optical mouse it's clear that it's working with the optical technology, and they are independent of the surface underneath. An optoelectronic sensor is in charge with taking pictures of almost any type of surface, which are then processed by specialized chips.
To take the successive pictures, the LED integrated at the bottom of the optical mouse illuminates the surface underneath and the image-processing chip analyzes the reflected light translating it into the movement on the X/Y axes using an optical flow algorithm. This algorithm involves a pattern of apparent motion of the surface in a virtual scene determined by the mouse and the surface.
In other words, optical mice are characterized by the integration of a very small camera capable to take 1,500 pictures per second while the LED light bounces light off that surface onto a CMOS sensor, which sends the images to the digital signal processor.
The processor, having an operating speed of 18 million instructions per second, detects image patterns changes and establishes the distance the mouse has moved since the last change. The coordinates are sent to the computer, which translates the information into the cursor movement.