Managing side effects of treatment

All treatments can cause side effects. The side effects you may have depend on the eye melanoma treatment you receive. Some people have very few side effects and others have more. Before your treatment begins, your specialist team will discuss all possible side effects, both short and long term (including those that have a late effect and may not start immediately).

Learn more about managing side effects of treatment and changes to how you see:

• Dry eye and eye discomfort
• Vision changes
• Changes in appearance (including artificial eye)
• Risk of infection
• When to seek help urgently

Dry eye and eye discomfort

• Use lubricating eye drops (artificial tears) as recommended by your doctor.
• Avoid being around smoke, wind and air conditioning where possible.
• Wear wrap-around sunglasses outdoors to protect your eyes and reduce dryness.
• Take regular breaks from computer screens and remember to blink often.
• If you have pain or swelling after surgery or treatment, take pain medicines exactly as prescribed and tell your doctor if the pain is not controlled.
• Use cold compresses around the area if they have been recommended by your health care team – but never directly on the eye.
• Rest and avoid heavy lifting or strenuous activity until your doctor says it’s safe.
• Contact your treatment team urgently or go to an emergency department if you have increased pain, redness, discharge or fever – these may be signs of infection.

Vision changes

• You may have blurry or double vision, loss of peripheral vision or other loss of vision. Ask your eye specialist if these changes will be temporary or permanent, and what else to expect over time.
• Use good lighting at home and avoid glare where possible.
• Large-print books, magnifiers, screen-zoom settings and text-to-speech apps can make reading easier.
• If you have double vision, an eye patch or special glasses may help – ask your ophthalmologist or optometrist.
• An occupational therapist can suggest practical adjustments for daily tasks such as cooking, reading or using technology.

Changes in appearance (including artificial eye)

• It can take time to adjust emotionally to changes in how you look – this is very common.
• If you have an artificial eye (prosthesis), you’ll be shown how to care for and clean it, and who to contact if it feels uncomfortable.
• Specialist ocular prosthetists can adjust the artificial eye to improve comfort and appearance.
• Talking with a counsellor or connecting with others who’ve had similar treatment can be helpful.

Risk of infection

• Wash your hands regularly and avoid close contact with people who are unwell.
• Tell your doctor straightaway if you develop fever, chills or flu-like symptoms (especially if you have had immunotherapy).
• Make sure to go to your follow-up appointments so that side effects can be monitored early.

When to seek help urgently

Contact your treatment team or go to an emergency department if you have any of the following:

• sudden or severe vision loss
• increasing eye pain or swelling
• signs of infection (fever, redness, discharge)
• severe headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, or ongoing diarrhoea during immunotherapy.

→ READ MORE: Life after treatment

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