When a person gets newly diagnosed with ocular melanoma, there are two traumatic things that people immediately face: losing sight and losing life. I want to share with you what it really means to "lose sight" in ocular melanoma. The bottom line is that vision loss with brachytherapy (which is plaque radiation treatment) is highly unpredictable and highly variable between different people. The good news is that the vast majority of my patients who get treated with ocular melanoma continue to lead impactful lives, continue to drive and resume most activities that they enjoyed prior to their diagnosis. Can things be challenging? Yes. Will there be some transitions? Usually yes. I have seen many people go through this process and thrive.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Nothing has been more inspiring to me than working closely with people who are open to engaging full-on with their mind-body health: to gaining knowledge, to confronting thoughts, to finding ways to improve health and to living our best. It doesn't matter where you are at - you may be at the beginning of your ocular melanoma journey, living with metastatic disease, or somewhere in between.

Navigating Ocular Melanoma Guided Group Program provides the framework to: 1) Make you an expert in Ocular Melanoma; 2) Gain control over your health; 3) Hold you accountable for doing the work to change your life; 4) Be part of a group of similarly motivated people who want to take action to change their health. This program is the tool, the bridge to get you going! What are you waiting for? I will encourage you to engage as fully as possible, with my experience and guidance. https://www.seyhart.com/navigating-ocular-melanoma Enrollment closes December 20, 2025. Curious but on the fence? I'd love to meet you at our Navigating Ocular Melanoma Zoom Open House on Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 11:30AM PST. Sign up here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kfslkJAhQhq7-5ar98m1IA

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

How does medical progress happen? What drives the adoption of new techniques and better patient outcomes? It is patient themselves who drive progress, rarely the physicians and surgeons themselves. Listen to hear why it is so important that patients vocalize their concerns, and question their doctors. In the field of ocular oncology many ophthalmologists continue to use techniques that have not changed in over 40 years: although thankfully eye removal is not often performed, the need for an improvement over the technique of brachytherapy plaque is long overdue.

At UCLA, we have been using silicone oil to shield radiation from harming the healthy tissues of the eye since 2012 after we made this discovery in 2010. However, many ocular oncologists do not have surgical retina skills to perform this and literally tell their patients, "Oh that silicone oil technique doesn't work" when we have several publications that report radiation side effect decrease and visual benefit.

Progress in treatments will only happen when patients demand it. Listen to hear how medical progress has also been patient-driven in fields like obstetrics and gynecology. Doctors performing the treatments themselves may not be mentally in a position to make major changes to their practice – making change is hard. It requires that you are okay with coming to terms with the way you might have done something most of your career might not have been the best possible way.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

The data from a cohort of my patients who live in Nevada took me by surprise. I acknowledge the work of Alex Rivas, a University of Nevada medical student and Dr. Wolfram Samlowski, a medical oncologist with uveal melanoma expertise who reached out to me and took action to publish our experience after noticing that our patients were not getting metastasis and dying like the existing data suggests should be the case.

The 5-year survival estimate in this cohort was 100%. Although small tumor size, disomy 3 and Class 1 accurately predicted a good prognosis, we found that the usual "high-risk" markers were not accurate. This meant that large tumor size, Monosomy and Class 2 patients that we treated continued to do well despite the odds.

What was unique about this cohort? All were residents of Nevada. All were closely followed by Dr. Samlowski, and all had been treated by me. We don't know yet the mechanism of how vitrectomy and silicone oil may alter metastasis, but listen on to hear this story and reflections of changes necessary in this field.

Link to full article here: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/16/2683

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Learn why adopting complementary health approaches, such as acupuncture can help boost your overall mind-body health. For your immune system to be boosted, to see your recovery hastened so that you can fine-tune your mind and body to be in the best position to beat metastatic disease, we must think broader. Listen to this episode to understand why it is important to think beyond your immediate healthcare team.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Treating a patient with choroidal melanoma (otherwise known as uveal melanoma or ocular melanoma), starts with a thorough evaluation - history, ocular examination and supporting imaging tests. This is required to first, make the diagnosis. One of the most challening aspects of treating choroidal melanoma is making the diagnosis. Don't forget to get your second opinions! I discuss when to consider enucleation as well as the benefits of using silicone oil to shield the radiation in the treated eye to reduce exposure to the healthy non-tumor parts of the eye. The follow-up by your ocular oncologist is also important to stay on top of any radiation side-effects that may develop needing treatment, as well as to screen BOTH eyes for many more common and treatable conditions that can occur.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness.

Getting diagnosed with ocular melanoma may be an isolating experience - few have heard of this type of cancer, let alone have an understanding of the eye to know what this can mean for vision. Yet, getting support - connecting deeply with others is key to our emotional and physical wellbeing. I encourage you to learn, lean into your healthcare team, join trusted groups, and talk to others who have been there before. Talking to others and connecting is a key human experience that improves our health, both mind and body.

I created Navigating Ocular Melanoma, a small group program to help support people who are seeking understanding, clarity and relief from anxiety and worry about what to do next in their journey with ocular melanoma. This program is available to help like-minded people come together and make positive changes under the guidance and experience of someone who has seen this numerous times before. Learn the ways that you can find support for yourself.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

If you missed the Live Webinar, welcome to this Episode! It's all here. Learn and get your questions answered about everything to know about ocular melanoma biopsy. I will review ocular anatomy, what can be tested on a biopsy, techniques of biopsy, I'll go through published data on biopsy safety (eye and metastatic-risk safety), the challenges of biopsy, when to take a biopsy, and finally what to do with your biopsy result.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

Just diagnosed with ocular melanoma or other unusual medical condition? If you've been feeling overwhelmed, confused, or unsure what to ask your doctor, this is for you. I'm Dr. Tara McCannel, an ocular oncologist with over 20 years of experience—and I'm here to help you maximize your medical appointments, ask the right questions, and become an empowered, informed patient. Whether you're navigating plaque radiation, biopsy decisions, or systemic screening, this episode goes through exactly how to prepare for your appointments, research your condition, and build a strong partnership with your care team. Don't go in passively, show up with an action plan — listen to this episode first to feel confident, clear, and in control.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.

When you find yourself entering a situation that is completely foreign, it is imperative that you teach yourself everything - read, learn, ask questions, gain clarity. Why? The more you understand your diagnosis and the details of what actually happens when you have eye surgery - specifically radiation plaque surgery - the more in control you will be. Why does being in control matter? More understanding and working through the information brings clarity which results in you being calm, cool and level-headed. From this place, you become your best advocate and can start to be proactive (instead of reactive) in your ocular melanoma journey.

For Tara McCannel's resources (including webinar links and link to my book!), visit my website: https://seyhart.com/ocularmelanoma

Welcome to Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma, a guide to understanding everything there is to know about your experience with this rare cancer. Learn through the lens of my knowledge and clinical experience as a physician expert and passionate patient advocate. The more you know about ocular melanoma, the better you will do, and the better you will live. Let's go!

The content shared on the Finding Your Way with Ocular Melanoma podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information provided must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As a listener, you are responsible for your own health-related decisions and must consider consulting with a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.

Tara McCannel MD PhD is a an ocular oncologist, vitreoretinal surgeon and co-founder of Seyhart Wellness. She is also the host of the Mind Body MD podcast where she shares her passion for holistic health and wellness.