Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Inside Eye Cancer



(click on comic to view larger image)

Eye Melanoma.
Uveal Melanoma.
Choroidal Melanoma.
Ocular Melanoma.
Intraocular Melanoma.
Eye Cancer.
Ciliary Body Melanoma

Each year, 2,000 adults in the U.S. are given the frightening diagnosis of “eye cancer”.

But not all eye cancers are created equal. In fact, all the terms listed above are broadly used to describe a melanoma located in the uveal layer of the inner eye, the only eye cancer that is still deadly.

Cancers in other parts of the eye, such as iris (represents only 10% of the uveal cancers), conjunctival and eyelid cancers, are generally not as lethal. Even retinoblastoma, a childhood eye cancer of the retina, enjoys a 95% cure rate.

Adult eye cancer is usually first noticed by the patient, who experiences defects in or a changing visual field.

Bottom line: Get your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor who is licensed to perform dilated eye exams and who is trained to recognize developing cancers inside the eye.

The smaller the lesion and the sooner it is treated by an ocular oncologist, the better the outcome visually and perhaps prognostically.

See your way to a healthy future with regular (if you have symptoms, be seen immediately) dilated eye exams.

It’s your sight.

It’s your life.