Welcome! For those of you who are new to me and my mission, I want to share a little about my background, experience and my philosophy toward patient care. Welcome back if you are visiting again!

Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately.

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!

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

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.

Many people worry that relying on a better-seeing eye may wear it out, make it see less well and also make the better-seeing eye more susceptible to disease. This is entirely not the case. Listen to understand how the eye works, how our brains process the information, and what we know happens to people with one well-seeing eye and one weaker-seeing eye. The better-seeing eye is meant to be used fully, so that you can enjoy your best vision.

Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately.

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!

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

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.

Among the leaders in medicine, and specifically people who have changed the field of Ophthalmology, Dr. Bradley Straatsma stands out as a legendary giant. The list of his contributions is lengthy. Dr. Straatsma was meticulous, he had the highest standards, and he cared deeply about ophthalmology and ocular oncology. He was visionary, open-minded, and generous. I am honored to be one of his mentees and to have worked alongside him for so many years. May his legacy carry on.

Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately.

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!

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

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.

Many people worry that relying on a better-seeing eye may wear it out, make it see less well and also make the better-seeing eye more susceptible to disease. This is entirely not the case. Listen to understand how the eye works, how our brains process the information, and what we know happens to people with one well-seeing eye and one weaker-seeing eye. The better-seeing eye is meant to be used fully, so that you can enjoy your best vision.

Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately.

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!

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

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.

Here is a simple one-page guide to use as a starting point. Wherever you are in your journey - you have a suspicious growth; you've just been diagnosed; you've already been treated; you have been diagnosed with metastasis. Learn as much as you can. Knowledge will give you the confidence to be in control and advocate for yourself.

Get your copy of the one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here Guide, it will be emailed to you immediately.

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!

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

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.

You may wish to update your glasses prescription after having eye surgery. This may be the case after cataract surgery, retinal detachment surgery (scleral buckling and/or vitrectomy), plaque brachytherapy surgery, and even during a course of getting eye injections. The accuracy of the prescription is determined mostly by the smoothness of the external surface of your eye. The stability of the inside parts of the eye - your retina and macula - have less effect on the prescription. Therefore, the best time to get the prescription is when: 1) you are off all post-operative eye drops; 2) your eye looks and feels back to normal without any swelling, without redness or discomfort; 3) your vision has stopped noticeably improving. Depending on the procedure, this can be as soon as about 2 weeks (after a straightforward injection) or as long as 2-3 months if you still have some redness or discomfort. It is completely OK to get glasses sooner than this time, but know that you may benefit from more fine-tuning of the prescription later.

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!

Click here for my one-page Ocular Melanoma: Start Here guide to help you take the next steps wherever you are at.

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

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.

During perimenopause and menopause, estrogen (and sometimes progesterone) decline significantly. Estrogen affects more than just hot flashes. It plays a role in brain function, mood, sleep, bone density, cardiovascular health, skin, and even joint health; therefore, symptoms of deficiency can be widespread and subtle. HRT can prevent osteoporosis, reduce fracture risk, and possibly improve cardiovascular health. There is no clear evidence that HRT increases risk in ocular melanoma. Unlike some cancers, ocular melanoma has not been shown to be hormonally driven. There are no data showing that estrogen worsens outcomes or increases recurrence risk in this disease. However, HRT is contraindicated in estrogen-sensitive cancers, such as certain types of breast cancer and uterine cancer. It is important to discuss with your physician whether HRT is appropriate in the context of your health.

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!

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

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.

Radiation kills ocular melanoma by disrupting and damaging the DNA - the blueprint for allowing the cancer cells to multiply. The source of the radiation in a brachytherapy plaque is either seeds of iodine-125, seeds of palladium-103 or seeds of ruthenium-106. When the treatment is over, the whole plaque that contains the radiation seeds within it, is removed entirely from the body. There is nothing left behind. Often, a radiation physicist will use a geiger counter to check to be sure that no seeds of radiation "fell out" or "were left behind" in the body. When it is confirmed that nothing has been left behind, and the retrieved plaque has the same number of radiation seeds in it that it started with, you will have no more radiation in the body.

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!

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

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.

You may find yourself in a tricky situation where your doctors think you MIGHT have an ocular melanoma or it's possible that the lesion may be benign. Usually, when there is something borderline, close observation is what experienced ocular oncologists often recommend. Benign lesions do not change, and continued monitoring will reveal stability. However, lesions that are cancer will slowly change, and treatment can be initiated when it is warranted. Treating ocular lesions "just in case" or "in advance" or "pre-melanomas" is rarely required and can result in patients experiencing unnecessary ocular side-effects. Listen to hear about why biopsying of "small indeterminate lesions" or "small ocular melanoma" prior to treatment may not only delay treatment of true ocular melanomas, but may result in the over-treatment of benign lesions that would have done well with observation alone.

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!

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

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.

Not only is it possible to get relief from worries about Ocular Melanoma, but it is also possible for you to become an expert, to take control over the way ocular melanoma affects you and your life, to be held accountable to make the necessary changes in your life, and to work closely with a group of people who are on the same page as you.

For those who have heard about Navigating Ocular Melanoma and are curious about this program, I invite you to listen to learn more. If you are seeking to dive deeper into work that can offer you the possibility of thriving with ocular melanoma this program is for you. Hear about the structure of our program, what past participants have said, and get your questions answered. I believe that we need tools that are holistic - mind, body and spirit - to help us beat this cancer. I can't wait to meet you and guide you personally in this journey.

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!

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

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.