Helping people affected by eye cancer

Dear Supporters

It is a terrible fact that half of the people diagnosed with eye cancer will die because they have an aggressive form of the cancer that has spread to their liver. There is hope though. Fight for Sight is currently funding pioneering research that will help doctors to detect anaggressive cancer early on. Much more work is needed to develop these techniques, however, which is why we are asking for your help.

Developing new techniques to help patients with eye cancer

Dr Sarah Coupland, pictured below, is a pathologist at Liverpool University working with her co-investigator, Professor Bertil Damato, an ophthalmic surgeon, on a new method to predict which cancers are life-threatening and which are not. This method is effective because it simultaneously screens dozens of chromosomal abnormalities with great accuracy.

Dr Coupland said: “This exciting new technique will help doctors to correctly identify an aggressive melanoma of the eye early-on. One of the main benefits of our research is that doctors will know whether or not the melanoma needs to be treated aggressively.”

“This work will have an enormous impact on patient care, helping to conserve sight and the patient’s independent way of life.”

Dr Coupland’s research is important because it will enable doctors to tell their patients whether or not their melanoma is life-threatening. This is of major benefit. For those patients whose cancer is not life-threatening there will be psychological benefits in this knowledge. And for patients with an aggressive melanoma, the benefit of this work will be in the provision of intensive screening to maximise any chances of detecting a spread of the cancer early, thereby helping to prolong life.

Your donation is vital for eye research

Dr Coupland and Professor Damato are making huge progress in helping people with eye cancer. They, and other researchers like them need more funding to continue their important work. Your donation will go directly towards funding vital eye research.

Your gift of £13 or more will help
fund more vital research into eye cancer.

There are different ways to make your donation, including an online payment option:

 

Thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely

Annu Mayor
Director of Fundraising
Fight for Sight

PS: None of this research would be possible without the help of our supporters. Send a donation today to enable more researchers to continue their important work into blindness and eye disease.