Message from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Colleagues,
Over the last several decades, treatment for uveal melanoma—a rare cancer that can develop inside of the eye—has improved. Before 1975, the standard treatment was enucleation.
Today, thanks to pioneering research at Mass Eye and Ear, many patients are able to preserve their sight with a precise therapy known as proton beam irradiation (PBI).
Building on over 50 years of service, the Ocular Melanoma Center at Mass Eye and Ear is a premier referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of ocular tumors and draws patients from around the world. Our uveal melanoma team has successfully treated thousands of patients using this very precise form of radiation.
Mass Eye and Ear researchers are continuing to pursue new and improved ways to treat tumors of the eye. The development and success of PBI is just one example of how our research efforts are rapidly advancing the care we provide. Because patients with uveal melanoma are often asymptomatic, comprehensive ophthalmologists must be aware of the risk factors that make a patient more
susceptible to developing these malignant tumors, including excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, race, and existing nevi located in the eye. Inside this issue of Eye Insights, you will find helpful information in identifying the disease and current treatment options and outcomes.

 Joan W. Miller, MD

David Glendenning CoganProfessor of Ophthalmology and Chair, Department of  Ophthalmology,  Harvard Medical School

Chief of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital

Ophthalmologist-in-Chief, Brigham and Women’s Hospital