Eye of the Beholder

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Many cancers offer warning signs that you can either see (an ABCD mole) or feel (a breast lump). Even retinoblastoma, a childhood eye cancer, presents itself with the unmistakable "cat's-eye" look. When a light, such as a camera flash hits the child’s retina, it reflects back the white-colored tumor instead of the healthy, blood-rich retina that gives people that “red-eye” effect.

In contrast, adult eye cancer, (also known as choroidal melanoma, eye melanoma, uveal melanoma, intraocular melanoma, ocular melanoma and ciliary body melanoma), is a stealthy disease that, in its earliest and most treatable stage, is rarely seen by either the patient during their daily routine or by a physician during general screening.

The photo above is orientated as if I am sitting across from you and you are looking into my eyes. This image was obtained through a test called a fluorescein angiogram which uses a special dye to highlight the circulation patterns in the back of the eye. The bright, speckled mess in my right eye is characteristic of choroidal melanoma, and indicates that the abnormal blood vessels are leaking the dye. The left eye is healthy.

I went to the ophthalmologist because I felt my prescription reading glasses needed to be updated. Instead, he found a tumor creeping up under the macula, which is responsible for the central vision and fine acuity tasks such as reading (you can see it touching the macular edge). For people whose tumors do not invade “seeing” structures such as the macula and optic nerve, growth can often become quite invasive before being noticed.

Fortunately, health-care ninny that I am, I did “see” and quickly act on my visual defect which resulted in prompt diagnosis and treatment and probably saved the eyesight in my right eye. The picture below shows the blackened, dead areas of the tumor and patchy, white area of surrounding radiation damage.

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Bottom line: The eyes may be the “window to the soul” but they are also a vital window to your health and well-being. Get regular, dilated eye exams by an ophthalmologist.

It’s your sight.

It’s your life.

Together, we can see a cure.™