Uveal Melanoma
In December of 2019 I went to see Dr Houlihan at the Chico Eye Center.
My left eye had become very cloudy in a a couple of months. Dr H said it was simply a cataract. I asked why my vision had changed so rapidly in my left eye and there was no change to my right eye. Dr H said it was just a cataract. She scheduled cataract surgery for January 2020. When she proceeded with the surgery and dilated my left eye she found a large uveal melanoma tumor in my eye and she stopped the procedure (see pic). The size of the tumor indicates it had been growing for months!
I ended up seeing a top retina specialist at Stanford. He decided to remove my eye as soon as possible. But because of covid the surgery was delayed until April of 2020. In the meantime micro metastases infiltrated my liver. After 5 years of monitoring my liver with MRIs liver tumors started growing rapidly in March of 2025. There is no cure. I have a couple months to live. If Dr H had sent me to a retina specialist in December 2019 it may have saved my life. I believe she is guilty of misdiagnosis and late diagnosis. A couple of months after the tumor was discovered I investigated the early rapid vision changes to my left eye. The medical recommendation was to see a retina specialist immediately. All the clues were there. Rapid vision change and enlarged veins in the whites of my eye that were feeding the tumor. NOTE: The actual date of my initial experience was December 5, 2019. The entry below will not allow a date more than 12 months prior to writing this review