Consultants at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (Moorfields) are advising the community to seek regular eye checks with appropriate specialists and subspecialists to benefit from the deeper level of expertise needed to diagnose accurately and treat the most serious and complex eye conditions. The advice comes in the wake of a patient at the hospital who had previously been diagnosed with a cancer in the eye, in another hospital; the Moorfields team was able to diagnose it as a benign mole. The patient did not need any treatment and is being monitored.
According to Moorfields, an eye examination by an experienced consultant ophthalmologist or relevant subspecialist is the safest way to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment, and to avoid the stress and worry involved in misdiagnosis. Subspecialists undergo additional and more in-depth training in their field, known as a 'Fellowship'. A check on doctors' credentials will help identify their levels of expertise and experience.
The Moorfields patient (a 56 year-old male from France) had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour and advised to seek urgent treatment in Europe, after it was discovered. In fact it was a benign mole, hidden in the back of the eye where it was not easy to locate. This kind of mole, known as a 'choroidal naevus', affects about 10% of the population and most just need monitoring, as the risk of them becoming cancerous is about 1 in 8,500 cases.
Dr. Mandeep S. Sagoo, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, a leading expert in eye tumours, who is a regular Visiting Consultant to Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, and who examined the patient, explains: "In this case, the patient was fortunate that the mole was benign and not cancerous; the patient was very relieved at the diagnosis and no treatment was required, although we recommend regular and careful monitoring to detect any change. Our experience in diagnosing hundreds of eye tumour patients a year ensures that our consultants are capable of recognising a cancerous tumour and what treatment - if any - is required. Photography and ultrasound scans help to make the diagnosis. In this case, seeking further medical opinions eventually paid off with the correct diagnosis and no need for costly travel and medical expenses for the patient."
Dr. Sagoo concludes: "Make sure that all the family members have regular eye checks because many additional health problems can also be picked up, as well as vision related issues. Even when cancerous moles are detected in the eye, around 25% of them do not present with symptoms in the early stage and will only be picked up during an examination by a trained optometrist or ophthalmologist."
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