Coping Methods For Ocular Melanoma

Nearly 90 percent of ocular melanomas arise from the uveal tract (including the iris, ciliary body, and choroid), and the balance occurs in the conjunctiva or (infrequently) the orbit. There are major medical and genomic variations between cancers of the uvea, conjunctiva, skin, and other locations.

Most melanomas impinge on the skin, however, several grow in different parts of the body, as well as the eye. ocular melanoma occurs in the color generation cells that give pigmentation to the iris. Many people go to a cancer center for care after an ophthalmologist conducting a routine eye examination detects suspicious changes in one of their eyes.

When you are diagnosed with ocular melanoma, you really require important decisions to make in addition to emotional concerns to manage, and insurance and financial paperwork to organize, among other practical concerns.

In this article, you will find out more about steps to take to help cope with physical, social, and emotional side effects when you have ocular melanoma.

When patients face problems related to life-threatening conditions, a caregiving approach is followed in optimizing the quality of life of the patients as well as their families. This procedure also helps reducing or to relieve your physical and psychological symptoms. There are potential consequences for every melanoma therapy, but melanoma sufferers don’t feel the same consequences when given the same therapies for a variety of factors. This in, turn, make it difficult to foresee precisely how you will feel during treatment.^1,2

Patients with uveal cancer should have frequent follow-up assessments by both an eye specialist as well as a medical professional. The eye specialist should examine the uveal scar for polyp relapse and impediments of treatment.

The medical oncologist should survey for metastatic disease. Particular evaluation of the liver, lung, and skin should be made as this malignancy most often metastasizes to these sites. It is advised that physical analysis and liver function examination twice annually, as well as liver magnetic resonance imaging and chest radiograph yearly, be carried out for checking.

The coping method for ocular melanoma also involves learning the treatment options. The different treatment options include

General Treatment- Depending on the type and stage of cancer and other factors, treatment options for ocular melanoma involve surgery, radiation therapy, laser therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy also referred to as immunotherapy.

Medical Therapy- Certain types of tumors cannot be treated using oral or intravenous medical therapy. In such cases, periodic observation, laser photocoagulation is found to be effective.

Transpupillary Thermotherapy- This is a new laser treatment for choroidal melanomas. The treatment works by slowly raising the temperature and destroying the tumor cells.

Surgery- Ocular melanoma treatment may include radiation or surgery. They are effective in treating small melanomas.^3,4

Like skin cancer, you can avert ocular melanoma by preventing contact to direct sunlight. However, medical studies state that there is no sure way to prevent eye cancer.

Some of the ways with which ocular melanoma can be prevented are-

Avoiding Exposure To UV Rays: Use UV protected sunglasses that wrap around the eye. The relationship between sunlight and ocular melanoma is not recognized, however, several physicians consider that sunglasses help prevent ocular melanoma risk.

Stay Active And Exercise Regularly: Every major cancer has an inverse relationship between physical activity and avoiding the risk of cancer. Physically active persons are at a reduced risk of getting affected by life-threatening conditions.

Adhere To A Balanced Diet: Poor diet leads to several health complexities. Follow a balanced healthy diet recommended by your healthcare provider.⁵

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Also Read:

• What is Melanoma of Eye or Ocular Melanoma: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Life Expectancy, Prognosis