Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In response, I say to my patients, “Think of sunglasses as sunblock for your eyes.” Consider that the people of Queensland, Australia, living beneath the ozone hole, have the highest reported incidence of choroidal melanoma, at 10 per million per year1—twice as many choroidal melanoma patients per capita as in the United States and Europe. Additionally, the role of ultraviolet radiation in the development of choroidal melanoma is supported by its greater incidence in patients with blue irides and outdoor occupations. Also consider that these tumors are more likely to be found in the posterior, more sun-exposed uvea, and that recent research has shown that iris melanomas are more commonly found on the lower, more sun-exposed iris.2
When a patient with choroidal melanoma presents in your office, however, prevention is no longer an option