At Providence Eye & Laser Specialists, our goal is always to provide excellent general eye care, which is necessary whether or not you’ve had LASIK eye surgery. At Providence Eye, we never stop with just your vision. We look at the health of your entire eye, and how that ties into the health of your body. They say that the eye is the window to the soul, but it is often the window to the body, as well.
General eye care exams are a very important part of your annual wellness check-ups as they can detect many different undiagnosed systemic conditions and diseases. One of the more serious and potentially fatal findings from a routine general eye exam is melanoma. Although fairly rare, with diagnosis rates of about 2,500 per year in the United States, it is the most common primary cancer in adult eyes. It is much less common than skin melanoma, but it is the most dangerous form of eye cancer. It can be very lethal, especially if it spreads to the liver, which it does in about half of the people who are diagnosed with it. Despite advanced treatment technology for ocular melanoma, 50% of patients still have metastases from 10 to 25 years after being diagnosed. People most at risk are those who are fair-skinned and light-eyed and spend a great deal of time in the sun. However, ocular melanoma can show up in anyone, and most of the time, there are no symptoms that would lead them to believe something is wrong with their eyes or vision.
Has it been awhile since your last general eye care exam or are you looking for a better experience when you visit the eye doctor? If so, contact us today at Providence Eye, and schedule your general eye care exam with our fabulous optometrist Dr. Vanessa Mills.
