Monica Jensen Melanoma

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. However, if it is recognized and treated early, it is nearly 100% curable. But if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers it causes the most deaths.

For more information go to Melanoma.com

What causes OCULAR Melanoma?

This is a rare type of tumor and, as for many other forms of cancer, the exact cause is unknown. It is known that exposure to ultraviolate (UV) rays (either from the sun or sunbeds) increases the risk of developing melanoma of the skin. People whose skin burns easily are most at risk; typically, people with fair skin, fair or red hair and blue eyes. However, it is not yet known whether or not there is any link between UV ray exposure and the development of melanoma of the eye.

What are the signs and symptoms of OCULAR Melanoma?

Symptoms include blurred vision, flashing lights, shadows and misting of the lens of the eye (cataract). Often, no symptoms are noticed and an ocular melanoma may be diagnosed by an optician during a routine sight test.

All of these symptoms are common to other conditions of the eye, but it is generally possible for an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) to diagnose these tumors quite simply and painlesly. Occasionally, a small sample of tissue needs to be taken and examined (biopsy), to confirm a diagnosis.

For more information on ocular melanoma go to ocularmelanoma.org

Melanoma Facts

1. If treated before it spreads, the five year survival rate for Melanoma patients is 99%.

2. Every 62 minutes, an American dies from Melanoma.

3. 1 in 5 Americans will develop some form of skin cancer in their lifetime.

4. Melanoma is the 2nd most common cancer in women aged 20-29 1/2.

5. More than 75% of skin cancer deaths are from Melanoma

6. More than one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.

About Tanning Beds and Sunlamps

An estimated one million Americans visit tanning salons every day, and the tanning industry earns over one billion dollars per year. Since the tanning industry is largely unregulated, it is important to be aware of the risks involved in using tanning equipment.

One misconception promoted by the indoor tanning industry is that tanning beds give off only the "safe, tanning rays" of UVA radiation. There is no such thing as safe UV radiation. In fact, exposure to the highly concentrated UV rays of tanning beds and sunlamps may be even more dangerous than exposure to the sun. The use of sunlamps is also associated with malignant melanoma of the eye.