Francais
info@saveyourskin.ca

Blog

#EyeGetDilated – Awareness Campaign for Ocular Melanoma – November 2019

The 4th annual #EyeGetDilated campaign kicks off November 1st!

Throughout the month, CURE OM, an initiative of Melanoma Research Foundation in the United States, will be utilizing social media, guest blogs, videos and more to promote and educate about the importance of eye health and encourage everyone to include a dilated eye exam in their annual wellness routine.

Early detection is incredibly important for many eye diseases, including ocular melanoma.

To expand their reach internationally, CureOM has invited Ocumel Canada to partner with them for this year’s awareness campaign! If you’d like to participate, please re-post information from the CURE OM and MRF, and Ocumel Canada, social media channels during the month to spread the news about the importance of dilated eye exams, and share your own messages too! You can also request our free “Missing a Check?” postcards to take to your local doctors to include in their annual wellness reminders or click here to download a PDF copy. Suggested places to hand out postcards/flyers (with permission) include your primary care/family physician, optometrist and dermatologist. Email us to find out more!

To read more about the role of a Dilated Eye Exam in early detection of Ocular Melanoma, please click here to read this blog by Carol L. Shields, MD:

Get your eyes dilated once a year for life. Detection of melanoma when it is small is important as life prognosis is far better. It should be known that about 10% of Caucasians in the United States have a choroidal nevus and this could be a precursor to melanoma. Any patient who has different colored iris should be checked twice yearly, as this too could be a precursor to melanoma. If there is a family history of other cancers like renal cell carcinoma, mesothelioma, or others, you should have your eyes checked as uveal melanoma can occur also with these other malignancies under the umbrella syndrome called BAP 1 cancer predisposition syndrome.  Click here to read the full article.

And click here to read more about Ocumel Canada and resources we offer across Canada: About Ocumel Canada