163: Tessa Parry-Wingfield survived Ocular Melanoma | Eye Enucleation | Uveal Melanoma

1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 163: Tessa Parry-Wingfield survived Ocular Melanoma | Eye Enucleation | Uveal Melanoma | Monocular Vision While jogging in 2023, Tessa Parry-Wingfield felt an unusual sensation in her left eye.&nbsp;&nbsp;It wasn’t painful but merited medical attention.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was seen by three doctors before learning she had ocular melanoma, a form of eye cancer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Because of the particulars of her diagnosis, she had to undergo an enucleation, the removal of her cancerous eye.&nbsp;&nbsp;With an acrylic implant taking the place of the cancerous eye, Tessa had an enormous amount of learning ahead of her, most notably what is known as monocular vision.&nbsp;&nbsp;Amazingly, Tessa has adjusted to her limited vision.&nbsp;&nbsp;She has resumed running and hiking and driving a car.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her future includes writing a book and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. &nbsp; Tessa was jogging along the River Thames in London when she felt something was wrong with her left eye.&nbsp; She went to see an optician thinking she needed to change her prescription regarding her contact lenses.&nbsp; However, upon checking out Tessa’s eyes, the optician could see something was wrong, perhaps an astigmatism. &nbsp; Lacking the necessary equipment for more in-depth scrutiny, the optician sent Tessa to an eye hospital, where they performed various x-rays and scans.&nbsp; When one of the x-rays of her left eye was held up for observation, half of it was black.&nbsp; Her care team thought Tessa had a form of eye cancer known as ocular melanoma, or, uveal melanoma, a tumor in the eye.&nbsp; She was next sent to see an ocular oncologist, who swiftly confirmed the diagnosis. &nbsp; Many patients diagnosed with ocular melanoma have more than one treatment option, but in Tessa Parry-Wingfield’s case, the oncologist performed more scans and tests and immediately told her she would need to undergo an enucleation, the removal of her left eye.&nbsp; &nbsp; Tessa was under anesthesia for the 90-minute procedure.&nbsp; It resulted in her getting a temporary prosthetic eye, eventually replaced by an acrylic implant, which she has to this day. &nbsp; She had to do a great deal of learning to go through daily life with one functioning eye, but that is exactly what Tessa has done.&nbsp; She has resumed running, hiking and skiing.&nbsp; She thought it would be a year or so of adjustments before she could drive a car, but her vision tests went so well that, three months after the procedure, her oncologist urged her to get behind the wheel.&nbsp; Without a left eye, she says she has to look a little farther to the left than she was used to before her diagnosis, but she is now quite comfortable driving a car. &nbsp; Through her cancer experience, Tessa Parry-Wingfield says she has surprised herself by learning how tough and resilient she can be. &nbsp; Additional Resources: &nbsp; Tessa on Instagram: @seeing_life_clearly &nbsp; Tessa’s website: https://www.tessa.parry-wingfield.com &nbsp; Cancer Interviews http://cancerinterviews.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/39680390/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/39680390