Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma

It is very common to have a drooping eyelid (called "ptosis") after ocular melanoma surgery. The most common reason is post-operative edema. The second reason is mechanical ptosis from the surgery itself. The time to start looking into treatment options by an oculoplastics (eye-lid and eye-socket) specialist is at least 4-5 months after your surgery so that you give yourself time to heal naturally. There are excellent treatment options for drooping eyelid if you need them. Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

In your reading about ways to treat an ocular melanoma, you may have come across a technique called "tumor endoresection". This is essentially removing the ocular melanoma from the eye by either an external technique, or an internal technique. The reason tumor endoresection is not offered in North American ocular oncology centers is because of the significant risk of morbidity to a patient's health - stroke, cardiac ischemia, air embolism and death - in order to reduce bleeding complications in the eye during the procedure. In contrast, ocular radiation treatments or enucleation (eye removal), do not increase a patient's risk of severe systemic complications. Most of the world's endoresection surgeons are in Europe and claim that patients have better vision when the tumor is cut from the eye. Would you really want the possibility of better vision if it meant severe illness or death during the procedure? Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

The most common and best way to treat an ocular melanoma where the tumor has not grown past the point of treatment, and where there is still vision in the eye is plaque brachytherapy. We discuss how surgery works, and review what to expect. Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Welcome! For those of you who are new to me and my mission, I want to share a little about my background, experience and my philosophy toward patient care. Welcome back if you are visiting again!  Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Many people worry that relying on a better-seeing eye may wear it out, make it see less well and also make the better-seeing eye more susceptible to disease. This is entirely not the case. Listen to understand how the eye works, how our brains process the information, and what we know happens to people with one well-seeing eye and one weaker-seeing eye. The better-seeing eye is meant to be used fully, so that you can enjoy your best vision. Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Among the leaders in medicine, and specifically people who have changed the field of Ophthalmology, Dr. Bradley Straatsma stands out as a legendary giant. The list of his contributions is lengthy. Dr. Straatsma was meticulous, he had the highest standards, and he cared deeply about ophthalmology and ocular oncology. He was visionary, open-minded, and generous. I am honored to be one of his mentees and to have worked alongside him for so many years. May his legacy carry on. Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Many people worry that relying on a better-seeing eye may wear it out, make it see less well and also make the better-seeing eye more susceptible to disease. This is entirely not the case. Listen to understand how the eye works, how our brains process the information, and what we know happens to people with one well-seeing eye and one weaker-seeing eye. The better-seeing eye is meant to be used fully, so that you can enjoy your best vision. Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Here is a simple one-page guide to use as a starting point. Wherever you are in your journey - you have a suspicious growth; you've just been diagnosed; you've already been treated; you have been diagnosed with metastasis. Learn as much as you can. Knowledge will give you the confidence to be in control and advocate for yourself.   Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

You may wish to update your glasses prescription after having eye surgery. This may be the case after cataract surgery, retinal detachment surgery (scleral buckling and/or vitrectomy), plaque brachytherapy surgery, and even during a course of getting eye injections. The accuracy of the prescription is determined mostly by the smoothness of the external surface of your eye. The stability of the inside parts of the eye - your retina and macula - have less effect on the prescription. Therefore, the best time to get the prescription is when: 1) you are off all post-operative eye drops; 2) your eye looks and feels back to normal without any swelling, without redness or discomfort; 3) your vision has stopped noticeably improving. Depending on the procedure, this can be as soon as about 2 weeks (after a straightforward injection) or as long as 2-3 months if you still have some redness or discomfort. It is completely OK to get glasses sooner than this time, but know that you may benefit from more fine-tuning of the prescription later.  Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! Click here for my one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here guide to help you take the next steps wherever you are at. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

During perimenopause and menopause, estrogen (and sometimes progesterone) decline significantly. Estrogen affects more than just hot flashes. It plays a role in brain function, mood, sleep, bone density, cardiovascular health, skin, and even joint health; therefore, symptoms of deficiency can be widespread and subtle. HRT can prevent osteoporosis, reduce fracture risk, and possibly improve cardiovascular health. There is no clear evidence that HRT increases risk in ocular melanoma. Unlike some cancers, ocular melanoma has not been shown to be hormonally driven. There are no data showing that estrogen worsens outcomes or increases recurrence risk in this disease. However, HRT is contraindicated in estrogen-sensitive cancers, such as certain types of breast cancer and uterine cancer. It is important to discuss with your physician whether HRT is appropriate in the context of your health. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Radiation kills ocular melanoma by disrupting and damaging the DNA - the blueprint for allowing the cancer cells to multiply. The source of the radiation in a brachytherapy plaque is either seeds of iodine-125, seeds of palladium-103 or seeds of ruthenium-106. When the treatment is over, the whole plaque that contains the radiation seeds within it, is removed entirely from the body. There is nothing left behind. Often, a radiation physicist will use a geiger counter to check to be sure that no seeds of radiation "fell out" or "were left behind" in the body. When it is confirmed that nothing has been left behind, and the retrieved plaque has the same number of radiation seeds in it that it started with, you will have no more radiation in the body. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

You may find yourself in a tricky situation where your doctors think you MIGHT have an ocular melanoma or it's possible that the lesion may be benign. Usually, when there is something borderline, close observation is what experienced ocular oncologists often recommend. Benign lesions do not change, and continued monitoring will reveal stability. However, lesions that are cancer will slowly change, and treatment can be initiated when it is warranted. Treating ocular lesions "just in case" or "in advance" or "pre-melanomas" is rarely required and can result in patients experiencing unnecessary ocular side-effects. Listen to hear about why biopsying of "small indeterminate lesions" or "small ocular melanoma" prior to treatment may not only delay treatment of true ocular melanomas, but may result in the over-treatment of benign lesions that would have done well with observation alone. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Not only is it possible to get relief from worries about Ocular Melanoma, but it is also possible for you to become an expert, to take control over the way ocular melanoma affects you and your life, to be held accountable to make the necessary changes in your life, and to work closely with a group of people who are on the same page as you.  For those who have heard about Navigating Ocular Melanoma and are curious about this program, I invite you to listen to learn more. If you are seeking to dive deeper into work that can offer you the possibility of thriving with ocular melanoma this program is for you. Hear about the structure of our program, what past participants have said, and get your questions answered. I believe that we need tools that are holistic - mind, body and spirit - to help us beat this cancer. I can't wait to meet you and guide you personally in this journey. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

What is a nevus? How did I get it? Can if affect my vision? How likely will the nevus change into a melanoma? How does my doctor know it is benign? Should I have it biopsied or treated? In this webinar, I will also show you how it is possible to easily monitor your own choroidal nevus, alongside your eye-care provider. Know when you need to get additional testing, be referred, or to get a second opinion. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

I had the honor of being invited to speak at the 54th Aspen Retinal Detachment Society Meeting in Snowmass, Colorado. In my lecture I chronicle the history of prognostic biopsy in vivo. The first prognostic biopsy in North America was performed by me, at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA in 2005. Reasons for the inaccuracy of biopsy are discussed, as well as the alarming trend to use prognostic biopsy to make diagnoses and treatment decisions in uveal melanoma as the number of new ocular oncologists continues to grow. The future of uveal melanoma must focus on survival, rather than predicting death. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

If you have a small ocular lesion that is suspicious, or that makes your eye doctors concerned for cancer, know this - you never have to rush into deciding what to do about it. This is because even small cancers grow slowly, so time is on your side to come up with a plan. Get second opinions ALWAYS when there is the possibility of a cancer, or if your doctors are thinking of an ocular procedure or surgery to figure out the next steps. Ocular melanomas and eye cancers are rare. Even your ocular oncologist may not have seen a lot of cases. Increasingly, more and more ocular oncologists are choosing to perform a biopsy as part of their decision-making. Listen on to learn how performing a prognostic biopsy (that is to see if you are a Class 1 or 2 lesion) to sort out your situation may be problematic and may result in over-treatment of small lesions that may not be cancer. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

In the setting of ocular melanoma, the most common reason you may need an eye injection is to treat radiation retinopathy. The class of drugs that may help with radiation retinopathy is "anti-VEGF therapy" (VEGF = vascular endothelial growth factor). The various options are Avastin (bevacizumab), Eylea (aflibercept), Eylea HD, Lucentis (ranibizumab), Vabysmo (faricimab), and Beovu (brolocizumab). All will potentially be beneficial, and sometimes your doctor may switch to a different one of these drugs to get more of an effect. The second reason you may need an eye injection is to treat inflammation. The class of drugs to treat signs and symptoms of inflammation is steroid therapy. The steroids on a needle include kenalog (triamcinolone), Triescence (triamcinolone), Ozurdex (dexamethasone) and Xipere (triamcinolone). It is important that your ocular oncologist or retina specialist distinguish the difference between radiation retinopathy and inflammation because the treatments for these different conditions are also different. Inflammation will usually get better; radiation retinopathy may worsen with time, but usually stabilizes or plateaus. Anti-VEGF therapy can improve your symptoms of radiation retinopathy especially early on. However, the shots don't "cure" radiation retinopathy, and most people do not need anti-VEGF shots indefinitely. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Have you ever wondered why your eye doctors initially thought you had a retinal detachment when you really had an ocular melanoma? For many people who get diagnosed with ocular melanoma, everything began when an eye doctor believed that there was a retinal detachment, and then expedited a referral to a retina specialist. It is usually the retina specialist who first suspects that there may be a possible tumor. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Once the ocular melanoma has been treated with radiation, the ocular oncologist monitors for treatment response and complications. Essentially, this means that at each follow-up appointment it is confirmed that the tumor remains dead and killed, and anything that might be treatable is discovered and acted upon. But what about between visits? Are there clues that I must act on so I won't miss a problem with my treated cancer? The short answer is - I am not aware of an instance where a patient knew of or suspected recurrence. But there are countless times when patients assume that something they notice might be recurrence, and it is not. Let your ophthalmologist or ocular oncologist see you to help sort out new symptoms, and always have your treated tumor checked.  Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Sometimes the toughest part about ocular melanoma can be the time after you have completely recovered from your treatment. Now what? About six months in, you may feel anxious, you may be "waiting" for the cancer to show up somewhere else, and you realize that you may still have unanswered questions. This is a very common experience, and most people feel just like you. Here are some tips to help: Continue to engage with your ocular oncologist and general oncologist. Keep learning as much as you can. Get your questions answered. Be proactive and consider second opinions with experts. Stay on top of eye exams and your scans. Focus on improving your whole-body health. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Should I have plaque or protons? You may be just diagnosed with ocular melanoma, or your eye doctors are concerned about something that MAY be ocular melanoma. We know that radiation treatment is the best way to kill ocular cancer. However, let me share with you why the question to be asking might really be: Who is the best person to be treating my ocular melanoma, and/or making the diagnosis? There are more ocular oncologists than ever before today. And the incidence of ocular melanoma remains the same - that means there are still only about 2000 people per year getting diagnosed. Therefore, most of the people practicing ocular oncology have far less experience than their predecessors. Furthermore, there is no "standard of care" treatment in our field. Everyone does what they think is best - taking the eye out, treating with radiation, treating "pre-melanomas" and suspicious nevi, and more. It is IMPERATIVE to get second opinions in this disease and learn as much as you can. Your treatment journey does not end after your radiation treatment. You will depend on your ocular oncologist to make decisions to give you the best possible outcome. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

A prognostic biopsy in ocular melanoma is when a needle is placed within the tumor itself and the sample sent to check for markers that tell us whether the melanoma has a low-likelihood of metastasizing or a high-likelihood of metastasizing. Regardless of your result, the outcomes of these tests are not set in stone. Just because you have low-risk, does not mean you are "home-free" and can discontinue systemic scans and monitoring; and just because you have high-risk results, does not mean that for sure, your melanoma will metastasize in the future. I discuss the reasons for variable test results and how uncertainty in medicine is a good thing for us - it leaves open many possibilities for how we may be able to influence our outcomes.  Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Oliver Sacks, MD was a neurologist and writer who gave us Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat and other fascinating books that provide a personal insight to neurological conditions. Dr. Sacks was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2005. Of the short stories in The Mind's Eye, Persistence of Vision is a detailed account of his own personal experience with his diagnosis and how it affected his vision. He writes about adaption and the critical importance of peripheral vision (which we usually don't formally measure at our eye check-ups). Listen to learn more. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

The most important test that we use to determine that radiation has successfully killed the ocular melanoma is the ocular ultrasound: we want to see either the same size as before, or a reduction in size of the height (the thickness of the tumor) compared to baseline pretreatment. Listen to learn what we do to monitor for a good treatment response, and how we watch carefully for tumor recurrence. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

The most common way that people may lose their vision in ocular melanoma is 1) if they have the eye enucleated (completely removed) or 2) as a side-effect of radiation treatment to kill the tumor. We have a visceral fear of the idea of "vision loss", and this tends to be fueled by our eye care providers, what we believe about our vision, and even our ocular oncologists. In most cases, even if there is the rare case of total vision loss in the affected eye, people are able to adapt, adjust and carry on with their lives. Listen on to hear ways to think about vision loss and not let this be the most important worry of your ocular melanoma journey.  Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

I recently had the oppotunity to visit the Interventional Radiology suite at UCLA Health to observe Dr. Siddharth Padia give a Hepzato Kit Delcath treatment to a patient with uveal melanoma metastasis. Hepzato Kit is a liver-directed therapy to treat tumors in the liver. This means that the drug is injected into the hepatic artery using x-ray guidance while the rest of the body's circulation is prevented from getting the drug. This procedure requires the expertise of a cardiac anesthesiologist, a skilled interventional radiologist and a perfusionist as well as a number of technical support staff to procure the drug and manage the treatment room. Here are my 3 take-aways: 1) Only people who can pass a cardiac stress test are good candidates for this procedure, so start working on your cardiac health today; 2) Hepzato may still be a possible treatment for advanced metastasis and you can have more than one treatment - be sure to stay on top of your scans; 3) Medicine continues to advance, we have and will have phenomenal treatments for patients who we otherwise might not have been able to treat.  Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Navigating Ocular Melanoma group is for people who choose to engage and learn everything possible so they can thrive. Do you have to be struggling to join the group? No, although most people are struggling with something. Our program is also for people who are doing well, AND want to be doing even better. Our research shows that the more you lean-in to your cancer diagnosis, the better you will do. When we thrive, our physiology changes and we become healthier. Do you want to be doing "fine" or do you want to be thriving? I can help! Here are 5 things that might happen to you if you join NOM: 1. You will learn something about ocular melanoma that you were completely unaware of or perhaps even incorrect about. 2. You will finally get a chance to process your diagnosis of ocular melanoma in a safe and supportive space. 3. Rather than avoiding the topic of possible metastasis (spread of the cancer), you will learn tools to face this reality head on and live in acknowledgment of both positive and negative outcomes. 4. You will meet others who want to learn, and who are vulnerable in what they share. And you will be inspired by them, as they will be by you. 5. Going through a challenging event can make us stronger. If your life hasn't changed since getting diagnosed with ocular melanoma, this program will help you recognize your cancer diagnosis as an opportunity that life has handed to you. I can't wait to meet you and to support you. Tara McCannel   For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Without prioritizing Deep Rest, our entire health will decline. Join me in this Health Webinar where you will learn why rest is a biologically essential part of healing, not a luxury. Intentional rest reduces inflammatory pathways, supports hormonal balance, strengthens immune function, for long-term resilience. We'll explore how rest, recovery, and mindful self-care can change the way you experience your body, your health, and your stress. Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

When a person gets newly diagnosed with ocular melanoma, there are two traumatic things that people immediately face: losing sight and losing life. I want to share with you what it really means to "lose sight" in ocular melanoma. The bottom line is that vision loss with brachytherapy (which is plaque radiation treatment) is highly unpredictable and highly variable between different people. The good news is that the vast majority of my patients who get treated with ocular melanoma continue to lead impactful lives, continue to drive and resume most activities that they enjoyed prior to their diagnosis. Can things be challenging? Yes. Will there be some transitions? Usually yes. I have seen many people go through this process and thrive.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Nothing has been more inspiring to me than working closely with people who are open to engaging full-on with their mind-body health: to gaining knowledge, to confronting thoughts, to finding ways to improve health and to living our best. It doesn't matter where you are at - you may be at the beginning of your ocular melanoma journey, living with metastatic disease, or somewhere in between. Navigating Ocular Melanoma Guided Group Program provides the framework to:   1) Make you an expert in Ocular Melanoma;  2) Gain control over your health; 3) Hold you accountable for doing the work to change your life; 4) Be part of a group of similarly motivated people who want to take action to change their health.    This program is the tool, the bridge to get you going! What are you waiting for? I will encourage you to engage as fully as possible, with my experience and guidance.   https://www.seyhart.com/navigating-ocular-melanoma   Enrollment closes December 20, 2025.    Curious but on the fence? I'd love to meet you at our Navigating Ocular Melanoma Zoom Open House on Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 11:30AM PST. Sign up here:   https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kfslkJAhQhq7-5ar98m1IA For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

How does medical progress happen? What drives the adoption of new techniques and better patient outcomes? It is patient themselves who drive progress, rarely the physicians and surgeons themselves. Listen to hear why it is so important that patients vocalize their concerns, and question their doctors. In the field of ocular oncology many ophthalmologists continue to use techniques that have not changed in over 40 years: although thankfully eye removal is not often performed, the need for an improvement over the technique of brachytherapy plaque is long overdue. At UCLA, we have been using silicone oil to shield radiation from harming the healthy tissues of the eye since 2012 after we made this discovery in 2010. However, many ocular oncologists do not have surgical retina skills to perform this and literally tell their patients, "Oh that silicone oil technique doesn't work" when we have several publications that report radiation side effect decrease and visual benefit. Progress in treatments will only happen when patients demand it. Listen to hear how medical progress has also been patient-driven in fields like obstetrics and gynecology. Doctors performing the treatments themselves may not be mentally in a position to make major changes to their practice – making change is hard. It requires that you are okay with coming to terms with the way you might have done something most of your career might not have been the best possible way. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

The data from a cohort of my patients who live in Nevada took me by surprise. I acknowledge the work of Alex Rivas, a University of Nevada medical student and Dr. Wolfram Samlowski, a medical oncologist with uveal melanoma expertise who reached out to me and took action to publish our experience after noticing that our patients were not getting metastasis and dying like the existing data suggests should be the case.  The 5-year survival estimate in this cohort was 100%. Although small tumor size, disomy 3 and Class 1 accurately predicted a good prognosis, we found that the usual "high-risk" markers were not accurate. This meant that large tumor size, Monosomy and Class 2 patients that we treated continued to do well despite the odds. What was unique about this cohort? All were residents of Nevada. All were closely followed by Dr. Samlowski, and all had been treated by me. We don't know yet the mechanism of how vitrectomy and silicone oil may alter metastasis, but listen on to hear this story and reflections of changes necessary in this field. Link to full article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/16/2683 For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Learn why adopting complementary health approaches, such as acupuncture can help boost your overall mind-body health. For your immune system to be boosted, to see your recovery hastened so that you can fine-tune your mind and body to be in the best position to beat metastatic disease, we must think broader. Listen to this episode to understand why it is important to think beyond your immediate healthcare team. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Treating a patient with choroidal melanoma (otherwise known as uveal melanoma or ocular melanoma), starts with a thorough evaluation - history, ocular examination and supporting imaging tests. This is required to first, make the diagnosis. One of the most challening aspects of treating choroidal melanoma is making the diagnosis. Don't forget to get your second opinions! I discuss when to consider enucleation as well as the benefits of using silicone oil to shield the radiation in the treated eye to reduce exposure to the healthy non-tumor parts of the eye. The follow-up by your ocular oncologist is also important to stay on top of any radiation side-effects that may develop needing treatment, as well as to screen BOTH eyes for many more common and treatable conditions that can occur.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness.

Getting diagnosed with ocular melanoma may be an isolating experience - few have heard of this type of cancer, let alone have an understanding of the eye to know what this can mean for vision. Yet, getting support - connecting deeply with others is key to our emotional and physical wellbeing. I encourage you to learn, lean into your healthcare team, join trusted groups, and talk to others who have been there before. Talking to others and connecting is a key human experience that improves our health, both mind and body.  I created Navigating Ocular Melanoma, a small group program to help support people who are seeking understanding, clarity and relief from anxiety and worry about what to do next in their journey with ocular melanoma. This program is available to help like-minded people come together and make positive changes under the guidance and experience of someone who has seen this numerous times before. Learn the ways that you can find support for yourself. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

If you missed the Live Webinar, welcome to this Episode! It's all here. Learn and get your questions answered about everything to know about ocular melanoma biopsy. I will review ocular anatomy, what can be tested on a biopsy, techniques of biopsy, I'll go through published data on biopsy safety (eye and metastatic-risk safety), the challenges of biopsy, when to take a biopsy, and finally what to do with your biopsy result. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Just diagnosed with ocular melanoma or other unusual medical condition? If you've been feeling overwhelmed, confused, or unsure what to ask your doctor, this is for you. I'm Dr. Tara McCannel, an ocular oncologist with over 20 years of experience—and I'm here to help you maximize your medical appointments, ask the right questions, and become an empowered, informed patient. Whether you're navigating plaque radiation, biopsy decisions, or systemic screening, this episode goes through exactly how to prepare for your appointments, research your condition, and build a strong partnership with your care team. Don't go in passively, show up with an action plan — listen to this episode first to feel confident, clear, and in control.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

When you find yourself entering a situation that is completely foreign, it is imperative that you teach yourself everything - read, learn, ask questions, gain clarity. Why? The more you understand your diagnosis and the details of what actually happens when you have eye surgery - specifically radiation plaque surgery - the more in control you will be. Why does being in control matter? More understanding and working through the information brings clarity which results in you being calm, cool and level-headed. From this place, you become your best advocate and can start to be proactive (instead of reactive) in your ocular melanoma journey. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

In cancer of most parts of the body a Stage from 1 to 4 is often assigned at various time points in the cancer journey. This may help to predict prognosis, guide treatments and provide a framework for people to understand how potentially serious things may be. With regards to ocular melanoma, we rely on Staging much less. In fact, the stage of your ocular melanoma cancer does not change how we treat the eye. However, when people are first diagnosed, having the ocular melanoma staged does help provide a framework or starting point so that people better understand where things are at - how bad is this? How advanced is my case? Listen to this episode to learn more about cancer staging, how the size of the ocular melanoma at diagnosis influences the staging, and finally how to figure out what exact Stage (from I to IV) is your ocular melanoma.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Although they share the same name - "melanoma" - the two cancers are cousins at best. Here are the differences - the tumor mutations between eye and skin melanoma are distinct; the systemic therapies that are most effective are different; the pattern of metastasis is different; and the risk factors for cancer development have differences. Watch to learn more!  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

After you have had radiation treatment to destroy the ocular melanoma, what's left of your tumor is no longer viable. Radiation destroys the cellular DNA which is needed for the cell to replicate itself, that is for the cancer to grow. After treatment, what's left of the ocular melanoma forms a scar that we continue to measure at every visit with your ocular oncologist. As long as we see the same size as the last measurement, or a decrease in size, this is proof of tumor response (that is, signs of death). It is not necessary to always have shrinking or even total disappearance of the ocular melanoma in order for your radiation treatment to have been successful. Listen to this episode also to learn about what I do if there is growth after treatment. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Finding Your Way With Ocular Melanoma: A Handbook For Patients and Families was created to serve as an all-in-one-place resource, written by one of the most experienced ocular oncologists in the world, yours truly! Searching for knowledge on the internet may result in inaccurate information, a focus on the worst-case scenarios, and conflicting ideas on what it is that you should do. My goal is to provide accurate and relatable information - the information that I share with my patients everyday - that can serve as a starting point for your journey with ocular melanoma. The more you know, the more you can engage with your healthcare team, ocular oncologist and have your questions answered. Know that it is possible to thrive after a diagnosis of ocular melanoma - I have seen this countless times. One thing is certain - knowledge is power. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

If you've been told that you may have an eye cancer, ocular melanoma, uveal melanoma, or even an unusual freckle, mole, nevus or lesion - it's time to lean in. Don't panic - the diagnosis must be confirmed first. There is a good chance that you do not have cancer, but there also is a chance that you may have eye cancer. How do you figure this out? You must see an ocular oncologist. An ocular oncologist is an ophthalmic surgeon who has additional expertise in treating cancers of the eye. And I recommend that you see 2 or 3 ocular oncologists if you can, because opinions among ocular oncologists may vary depending on the individual's experience and treatment preferences. We actually do not have uniform treatment standards in the field ocular oncology! Getting opinions is part of your learning. The more you know and understand, the better you will do. Also, treating eye cancer is never an emergency. You have a few weeks to do your due diligence, get opinions and learn as much as you can before the day of your surgery.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Did you get a second opinion? I cannot stress how important it is for EVERYONE to get a second opinion when you have been diagnosed with an ocular melanoma or a suspicious choroidal nevus or spot that your ocular oncologist may be concerned about. Why? Shouldn't my ocular oncologist - a highly trained individual - know what they are doing? Experience between all ocular oncologists is highly variable, and ocular melanoma is so rare that most ophthalmologists have never seen one in their practice. When the wrong decisions are made in ocular oncology, cancers can spread, vision can be lost due to treatment delay, vision can be lost due to unnecessary treatment, not to mention eyes may be entirely removed because of delay and even misdiagnosis. Your doctor will almost always make decisions because they believe they are acting in your best interest, but you may discover that another ocular oncologist would not have necessarily taken the same treatment path.  If you are afraid that your doctor might get offended or that it is disrespectul to get another opinion, please think again. It is 2025. Healthcare must revolve around YOU, the patient. You are the reason there is even a healthcare system to begin with. Our job in medicine is to serve the patient. If your doctor or healthcare team gives you a hard time, or does anything short of encouraging you to get a second opinion, it may be time to change doctors. How else can you advocate for yourself, if you are not encouraged to learn and better understand what you have?  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Going through the recovery of your ocular melanoma surgery can be a daunting experience. Learn about the reasons for eye pain, redness, swelling and what you can do to get through the healing process. Always reach out to your ocular oncologist or eyecare provider if you have questions about your recovery process. Listen to learn more! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

What is a retinal detachment? In most cases, retinal detachment is caused by a rip in the retina (i.e., retinal tear) from pulling of the vitreous humor. The torn retina then allows liquified vitreous humor to enter the space under the retina which causes a peeling away of the retina from its normal anatomic position. Retina that is separated from its attachment position does not function properly, resulting in a decrease or loss of vision. The symptoms of a typical retinal detachment like this, may be a sudden onset of floaters (caused by the retinal tear) and a curtain or veil like obstruction of sight. Retinal detachment is an emergency that is treated by a vitreoretinal surgeon. Nearly all ocular melanomas are associated with a retinal detachment. However, unlike the more common type of retinal detachment that starts from a torn retina, retinal detachment from a melanoma comes from abnormally leaking blood vessels from the growing tumor that exude fluid under the sub-retinal space, pushing the retina off from its normal position. We call this type of retinal detachment an "exudative retinal detachment". The larger the melanoma, the more exudative retinal detachment there may be. Repair of this type of secondary retinal detachment occurs most of the time by destroying the source of the leaking, that is, radiating the ocular melanoma.  Sometimes additional exudative retinal detachment may occur after the melanoma is treated when there is an inflammatory reaction from dying tumor. If you have vision in your melanoma-treated eye, and you have a retinal detachment, it is possible that a retinal surgeon can repair your retinal detachment to improve the vision in your eye. Ask your ocular oncologist, and ask for an opinion from a retinal surgeon if you think surgery might help your vision. Find out what is going on in your eye!  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

When is the right time to treat a small melanoma? The biggest take-home message if you have a small suspicious lesion or a small uveal melanoma, is that TIME is on your side. You never have to rush into treatment; you do not increase your metastatic risk by waiting a few weeks to get additional opinions, to learn more and to get your questions answered.   Be sure that your ocular oncologist is using their clinical experience to decide that it is time to treat you. Be wary if your ocular oncologist talks about a "check-list" or the "criteria" for diagnosing ocular melanoma – yes, we have clinical signs that guide us, but using exclusively a checklist may result in both over-treatment of lesions that may not be melanoma, or under treatment of lesions that may indeed be melanoma. Remember to take the time to process your diagnosis, to learn about it, to go back and ask questions, to get additional opinions. This is not necessarily the case if you have a larger sized melanoma. Listen to learn more! For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Have you been told that you will likely go blind after ocular melanoma treatment and that there is little that can be done? Have you been told you might go blind unless you get started right away with ocular injections? If the answer is yes, stop right now and watch this episode. There are a few things that you must know about ocular melanoma: It is uncommon for patients to slowly and steadily lose all of their vision. Anti-VEGF injections are not necessary to save the vision or to save the eye after treatment, but they often can result in subjective temporary visual improvement. We are not good at accurately predicting what a person's vision may be after ocular melanoma treatment.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

By definition, cancers grow their own blood supply in order to invade and grow in tissue where they don't belong. The blood vessels in ocular melanoma are more fragile than the normal blood supply of ocular tissues. Most melanomas do not bleed. However, bleeding is possible in melanomas that are about 3-4 mm or greater in thickness. Bleeding may occur: 1) at the time of diagnosis; 2) during surgical manipulations; 3) as the tumor dies after radiation treatment; 4) any time months and sometimes years after treatment during the evolution of the remaining scar tissue. Two important points: 1.) Bleeding does not increase the risk of metastasis. 2.) Bleeding is not a sign of tumor recurrence. When tumors do bleed, the blood stays in the eye, and may cause the following: no symptoms; reduced vision; elevated intraocular pressure by blocking the drainage of aqueous humor. Blood that doesn't clear on its own may need to be removed to improve vision and/or preserve the health of the eye. For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

At the beginning of your journey with ocular melanoma, a question about performing a biopsy may arise. Performing biopsy for molecular prognostication - to know the potential risk that your melanoma may spread in the body (that is, metastasis) - is considered standard of care in ocular oncology. However, controversy still exists as some physicians still do not offer biopsy to patients, others feel that biopsy could be dangerous, and still other centers may not have the experience. However, one thing has been demonstrated by much scientific research: Performing a biopsy on an ocular melanoma does NOT increase the risk of metastasis. Listen to learn more.  For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go! The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.  Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.