Standing Up To EYE Cancer

With today being Stand-Up To Cancer Day, we thought it was important to talk about a form of cancer that doesn’t always get as much attention as other forms. That would be eye cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society there are 2,730 new cases of eye cancer a year that results in over 300 deaths. Most cancers of the eye consist of melanomas while some are lymphomas. Both usually start from other parts of the body such as the skin or lymph nodes.

There are many various risk factors in developing eye melanoma.  Race/ethnicity, eye color, age and gender can all contribute with Caucasians, people with light colored eyes and older age men having the highest risk.

As for treatment, there a lot of different options you can choose from.  Surgery is one option and is dependent on the size of the tumor.  Radiation therapy is another option that is usually preferred as it uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill the cancer cells.  This method often preserves some vision in the eye and compared to surgery, preserves the eye structure, which can help with appearance after the procedure.

Laser and Chemotherapy are additional options that maybe available. Make sure to thoroughly discuss all your options with your eye doctor.

Cancer is a big issue in this country and around the world. That includes eye cancer. If though we all “Stand Up To Cancer” one day every form of it will be extinct!

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