October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is breast cancer awareness month. The Eye Center is passionate about our patient’s health and we are actively involved in every part of our patient’s health care. Many people are not aware that breast cancer can affect the eyes. In fact, most cancers in and around the eyes are usually from breast cancer (in women) and lung cancer (in men). The most common place for breast cancer to spread to the eye is called the choroid (choroidal metastasis). Most patients with choroidal metastasis have no symptoms, meaning they may not even know there is something wrong in the eyes. Other patients can have symptoms of red, itchy, watery eyes from the treatments for breast cancer. We recommend annual eye health examinations for all of our patients. But it is especially important if you have a history of breast cancer, or have breast cancer in your family. We can take detailed pictures of the inner layers of your eyes with our Optomap retinal camera. If your eyes are dry from other treatments, we can prescribe the correct eye drops such as Restasis. We can also recommend glasses with proper UV protection to prevent any damage from the sun. Please call our office to schedule an appointment today.