Ocular Melanoma Patient Resources

EyeMelanoma.org highlights ocular melanoma information and ocular melanoma patient resources available on the internet.

Eye Melanoma, Ocular Melanoma, and Intraocular Melanoma are used interchangeably by physicians for this type of eye cancer. (Ocular means "of the eye." Intraocular means "within the eye.") There are also more specific medical terms that are used based on the location of the tumor:

An eye melanoma located in the uvea (the tumor's site approx. 95% of the time) is called Uveal Melanoma, and — when noting the specific part of the uvea — Choroidal Melanoma (about 90% of uveal melanomas), Ciliary Body Melanoma, or Iris Melanoma. The uvea is the pigmented middle layer lying above the retina and beneath the sclera and cornea.
The other approx. 5% of eye melanomas occur in a different layer — the conjunctiva tissue that covers the sclera — and are referred to as Conjunctival Melanoma.

Diagram showing uveal and conjunctival eye parts that can be affected by ocular melanoma,

Illustration provided with permission from National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute.

Welcome

In loving honor of my sister Paula ...

I created this website more than ten years ago to help patients and their families with their search for reliable resources and accurate up-to-date information relating to ocular melanoma.

As healthcare professionals, my sister and I always believed strongly in creating environments that support patient empowerment, hope, and informed decision making. We then personally put this to use when she was diagnosed with ocular melanoma.

The EyeMelanoma.org website is actively maintained by me, and new resources from trustworthy organizations (primarily health-related nonprofits, universities, medical associations and journals, and government agencies) are added throughout the year.

Descriptions used on this site are almost always quoted directly from the source. Information is listed alphabetically or in date order on each webpage to also emphasize my impartial role.

By finding and vetting resources, I especially hope to ease some of the stress for those patients and family members who are understandably overwhelmed by the vast amount of information scattered online.

This website is also meant to be a place of encouragement. I hope that by using the links to organizations, educational materials, clinical trials, medical journals, online forums, and the many other types of assistance compiled here, you are heartened by the expanding work being done in both ocular melanoma research and ocular melanoma support.

Wishing everyone strength and healing,

Erica Barrett, MOT, MBA

The mission of EyeMelanoma.org is to serve as a reference guide to well-respected resources

Welcome